


The Kiss at Ember Island

by AstraBabe



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Awkward Sexual Situations, Beach Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Horny Teenagers, M/M, Smut, Useless Lesbians, young kyalin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:28:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28399977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstraBabe/pseuds/AstraBabe
Summary: This was their last family trip to Ember Island before Kya goes on her travels. Normally, Kya would be having more fun, but Lin notices something is off about her. Lin finds Kya out on the beach later that night and learns Kya has a secret she won't tell her.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II, Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 85
Kudos: 235





	1. Moonlight: Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is the fluff! Guess what comes next.
> 
> AU where Tenzin never dated Lin. Tenzin is 17, Lin is 18, Kya is 20, Izumi is 21, and Bumi is 22. Also, Zuko and Sokka are Izumi's dads because I can and I will.
> 
> cw for teen drinking
> 
> Enjoy!

Aang and Katara brought their family on vacation to Ember Island. It would be the last time they were all together for a while since Kya planned to travel to the South Pole. It would be her first trip alone for the first time in only a few weeks. For the two, it meant a chance to catch up with Zuko and Sokka. For their kids and their cousin Izumi, it meant drunken nights on the beach. While Toph was busy working on a big case back in the city, Lin came along to spend some much-needed time away from her mother and with her friends.

On the beach, the group of friends sat around a large bonfire. Bumi sat next to Izumi, the two of them having a conversation with Tenzin across the fire. Lin sat to the other side of Izumi, and directly across from Kya. The group was lively, but something was off about Kya. She sat crossed legged on her beach blanket, taking quiet sips from the bottle of sake they had been passing around. She didn’t even take up the chance to gang up on Tenzin when Bumi started prodding him about his new girlfriend.

“Why don’t you tell us about her, Ten?”

“You have a girlfriend!” Izumi gasped. “Why didn’t you say?”

Lin just smiled and sipped the sake, watching the chaos unfold. 

“She is not my girlfriend. Pema is a very close friend and a very dedicated acolyte.”

“Is that why you spend so much time alone? To 'study'?” Bumi nudged Kya a bit. She gave a halfhearted smile instead of her usual grin.

“Oh, Bumi, leave him alone. Maybe they are just friends,” Izumi suggested.

“I’ve caught him showing off his tatts to her more than once.”

“She had a question about the practice!” Tenzin reddened.

“Never mind, they’re dating.” 

“This is why I didn’t want to say anything…” He crossed his arms.

“Congratulations, little bro!” Bumi stumbled over to wrap Tenzin in a bearhug.

“Thanks, Bumi,” he was barely able to get out.

Izumi followed after, laughing while attempting to pry Tenzin free.

Lin took another sip of sake and lifted her eyes from her drink to Kya. She found that Kya was already looking at her from the other side of the flames. She seemed worried, her gaze intensified by the firelight. _What is up with her?_ Brooding was normally Lin’s job. Lin stood up, realizing she was a bit wobbly herself before walking over to Kya. Kya averted her gaze. 

“You okay?” Lin asked.

“Yeah, just zoning out.” Kya looked up and put on a smile. 

“The sake going to your head again?”

“ _Perhaps,_ ” she joked. That sounded more like the regular Kya.

“Kya!” Bumi called out. “I would like to make a song request!”

Lin, Izumi, and Tenzin shot Bumi a glare. 

“ _Bumi,_ ” Tenzin warned.

Kya reached to pick up the pipa at her side.

“What can I play for you?” The familiar grin returned to her face.

“Don’t get her started,” Izumi added. Kya had a habit of getting drunk and playing the Cave of Two Lovers or more specifically, just the chorus. She would zealously sing the secret tunnel lyrics over and over on her pipa until her friends could no longer stand it. Bumi was engaging in an act of war.

“ _A Cave of Two Lovers_.”

Lin groaned.

“Am I hearing A Cave of Two Lovers?” she held her hand up to her ear.

“You are! In honor of Tenzin and his girlfriend.” He threw his arm around his brother.

Kya held her hand up high, preparing to strum. “One, two, one, two, three, four –“ 

Lin made a fast hand movement, bending the sand to knock Kya over. She fell onto her back with an _oof _.__

__“You’re my hero.” Izumi turned to Lin._ _

__“Hey! What was that for?” Kya remained on her back._ _

__“Well,” Tenzin clasped his hands together, “I think its officially late. I’m going to head back.” He evaded Bumi’s grasp again. As the youngest one there, Tenzin hadn’t been drinking and didn’t seem to have any interest in it either. He was usually the one who reigned everyone else in._ _

__“Oh, come on,” Bumi complained._ _

__“I think Tenzin’s right.” Izumi yawned, “The sake is making me sleepy. Besides, we’ve got that thing tomorrow, remember?”_ _

__“Yes, the thing,” Bumi said. “What was the thing?”_ _

__“My dads wanted to take us to a play at noon.”_ _

__“We're going to be around other people tomorrow?” Bumi groaned._ _

__“Better start sobering up now.” Tenzin gave him a slap on the back._ _

__Lin collected her things then ambled back over to Kya who was still laying down, nudging her with her foot._ _

__“C’mon, we’re going back.”_ _

__“No, you interrupted my song.” Her eyes were closed._ _

__Lin looked back and saw the others were heading towards the path that led up the cliff and back to the resorts. Izumi supported Bumi as he walked._ _

__“Everyone’s heading up.” She nudged her again, a little harder this time. Kya opened her eyes and looked up._ _

__“No, I’m mad at you. And your tits look huge from this angle,” she snorted._ _

__“Okay, I’m leaving.”_ _

__“Oh no!” Kya feigned. “Whatever shall I do?”_ _

__“I’m walking away.” Lin called over her shoulder._ _

__“How could I ever survive!”_ _

__“Bye!” Lin yelled, meeting up with Tenzin who had waited for her. He stared at Kya laying by the dwindling bonfire._ _

__“Should I go get her?” he asked._ _

__“Nah, she’s fine.”  
_ _

* * *

Lin was back at her resort house, and had just finished taking a shower. She had sobered up and now sat on her bed, brushing out her hair. She stared out the glass doors of the house onto a deck that loomed over the beach. One of the doors was open because it was terribly hot inside, even at night. From her room, Lin could hear the faint crash of the waves and the soft notes of a pipa being tuned. _Shit_. Kya was still out there. Abandoning the brush on her bed, she stepped out onto the deck. Their fire from earlier had gone out, and it was completely dark. She couldn’t see Kya anywhere, she could only hear her playing. _I better go get her._

Lin grabbed a lantern near her bedside, and left the resort area. She walked down the path to the beach as quickly as she could in the dark. She left wearing her pajamas, a white tank top and green silk pants, forgoing shoes. When she got to the beach, she could hear the pipa better, but it was still faint over the sound of the waves. Lin focused herself and resolutely slammed her foot down on the beach. Her senses were muffled through the sand, but she could feel Kya. She was far away. _I’m gonna kill her._

She started out walking quickly, but as she made her way down the length of the beach, she had slowed down, admiring the full moon. It was hot but a pleasant cool breeze swept over the ocean. The night was a starless deep blue, illuminated solely by the glow of the moon, an aureole of softer blue light surrounding it. The light caught on the pale waves, glinting like glass. She was walking slowly now. The sand was soft and wet under her feet, the water warm when it lapped at the shore and washed over her toes.

Eventually, Lin made it to the end of the beach. There was no more sand in sight, only a small rocky cliff extending into the ocean. She didn’t hear the pipa anymore either. Lin walked near the edge, and raised her lantern. There was Kya, sat on a flat expanse of rock close to the water.

“Hey!” Lin called, waving her lantern. “What are you doing down there?”

Kya looked up.

“Lin?”

“Yeah! What are you doing?”

Kya motioned for her to come down.

She sighed, abandoning her lantern and carefully making her way down the cliff. The closer she got to the bottom, the more slippery the rocks became. She had no idea how Kya did this in the dark or while drunk for that matter. The bottom was level but covered in uneven swathes of algae and pocked with tiny little pools of water. 

“Lin, what are you doing down here?” Kya turned around. She had her pipa in her lap, sitting on her beach blanket from earlier.

Lin looked around.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I was tuning my pipa.”

“Yeah, I could hear it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, my resort is right over the cliffs.” She pointed in the direction.

“Shit, did I wake you or something?”

“No, I was getting ready to go to bed. I heard you playing then got worried since I left you out here.”

“Aw, you were worried about me?”

Lin rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, aren’t you going to head back?”

“Nah, I’m good. Whenever we visit, I sneak back out here anyway.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It’s nice to just sit by the ocean. Play a bit. Full moon tonight, too. But I’m good, though.” Kya turned back to look at the waves. She sounded a bit distracted.

Lin looked, too. She noticed the way the moon struck the open water. When the waves slipped passed one another, they caught the light differently, sparkling different hues of teal. She took a deep breath, smelling the salt air. 

“Mind if I join you?” She padded over to Kya.

Kya was surprised. 

“Sure.” Kya placed her pipa aside, then patted the spot next to her. Lin sat with her knees pulled to her chest, shoulder to shoulder with Kya.

Kya closed her eyes as the wind rolled in off the ocean. Her dark brown hair had dried a bit wavier than usual from their swim earlier today. Kya had attempted to tame it by putting it into a side braid. Lose strands flicked in the breeze.

The two sat in silence for a while but Lin couldn’t stand it. _She_ was the silent one. It bothered her when Kya was quiet. It never meant anything good.

“Can I ask you something?” Lin broke the silence. 

Kya opened her eyes.

“You were kind of quiet tonight. Is something wrong?”

“No.” she shook her head. 

Lin sensed her heartrate quicken.

“You know I can tell you’re lying?” She tapped her foot on the rock below.

“I’m just tired,” Kya insisted.

“ _Bullshit_. What’s eating you?” Lin looked at her seriously for a few moments, Kya returning her gaze before sighing in defeat.

“It’s just – normally, when I sit down here, I look out over the water as far as I can. I think about what’s out there and I get excited. I’ve wanted to travel by myself for as long as I can remember. Now, I’m finally doing it.” Her tone was bittersweet.

“Oh, yeah,” Lin said, disappointed. She never liked when Kya brought up leaving.

Kya kept talking.

“And I want to go, I really do, but I don’t know if I can do it yet.”

“Really? What’s stopping you?”

“You’re going to think it’s stupid.” Kya put her face in her hands.

“No, I won’t.”

“ _Be honest_.”

“Okay, I might. But what is it?”

Kya exhaled, “Well, there’s this girl –“

“A girl?” Lin interjected. 

“Yeah, she’s really something.” Kya looked up at Lin. 

“How come I didn’t know you were dating someone?”

“We’re not dating. It’s…complicated.”

“Do I know her?” Lin was more focused on who it was rather than Kya’s reservations about leaving. 

“You do.” She maintained eye contact.

Lin’s eyes went wide. 

“I – I shouldn’t have said any of that. Just forget I said it.” Kya inched away from her.

“No, you brought it up, you have to tell me.”

Kya opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, a devilish smile crossing her face.

“If you want the answer, then come get it.“ Kya sprung to her feet, moving away from the blanket.

“Where are you going?” Lin stood up.

“Follow me and find out!” 

Kya knew the cliff well, deftly stepping around broken shells, over slick rocks, and avoiding little pools of water. Lin tried to keep up and arrived at the edge of a large tide pool just after Kya. It was wide, but she couldn’t tell how deep it was in the dark. She heard Kya fumbling with something then saw her beach wrap fall to the ground.

“What are you –“ was all she could get out before Kya took a running jump, splashing into the tide pool. “Fuck!” Lin shouted, shielding herself from the water.

When she looked at the tide pool again, she noticed something strange. The pool began to glow an unearthly blue. It was neon, electric almost. It colored Kya a deep blue in its glow, and illuminated the depth of the pool. Little bubbles floated up behind her as she sank to the bottom. The wave rippled throughout the water, the electric glow spreading to the far edges of the pool.

Kya resurfaced. Her braid had come undone, and her long brown hair covered her face when she bobbed above the water. She used her arm to swoop it back over her head, hitting the water with a plop.

“Are you doing that?” Lin asked. She’d never seen anything like it before.

“Nope! Bioluminescence, baby!” She swam to the edge of the pool and rested her head on her arms. The pool slowly turned dark again.

“Will you just tell me who it is now?”

“You want the answer? _Get in_.”

“No, I just showered.”

“Uh oh, then I guess you’ll never know!” she taunted.

“I don’t have my swimsuit!”

“You don’t need a swimsuit to go swimming.” Kya said coyly.

“I don’t want to get my pajamas wet.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Lin walked towards Kya, but she pushed off from the wall. Lin dipped her foot in, toeing the bright blue water. _Well, at least it’s warm_.

“All right, I’ll play your game.” Lin slid off her pants and stood proudly in her briefs and tank top. The air was nice on her legs.

Kya did not expect her to give in.

Lin crouched down, attempting to climb into the pool. She stuck her leg in, searching for a foothold but lost her grip. She hit the water with a graceless flop and activated the bioluminescence again. 

She came up gasping for air, scrambling for any grip she could like a cat that had fallen into a bathtub. Eventually, she hefted herself over the edge of the pool. She turned back, red in the face, to see Kya laughing. Lin narrowed her eyes. She pushed off the wall, launching herself towards Kya.

“Oh, shit!” Kya said. She used her bending to push Lin back before hoisting herself out of the pool. Lin saw, and made a swift swiping motion with her hand. She sloped the edge Kya had nearly used to climb out, dropping her back into the pool. Lin caught up to her and grabbed Kya when she resurfaced. She had her backed against a wall in a shallow area where they both stood.

“There, I got you.” Lin was out of breath. “Now tell me.”

Kya had that nervous look on her face again.

“Why do you suddenly want to talk about feelings? Why don’t you just drop it?”

“Because you tell me _everything_.”

“I just can’t, okay? Not this.” 

“But why not this?”

“If I told you about her, it might hurt her. She doesn’t know what she means to me.” 

“Look, if she’s that important to you, I’m sure she’ll understand! Just tell her and get it over with!”

“Fine!” She paused. “I love you.”

It got quiet between them, the only sound the low rumble of the ocean. Lin let it sink in.

“Maybe you should do something about that.” Lin maintained steady eye contact with her.

“ _Maybe I will_ ,” Kya responded, holding her gaze.

“Then do it.” Lin's voice was softer than before.

“Okay...” Kya’s voice was quieter, too.

“Here I go.” Kya swam closer to Lin, picking up her eyes from the water to Lin’s face. She wanted to give Lin every chance to change her mind. 

They were face to face. Her gaze darted back and forth from Lin’s pale green eyes to her lips. Lin’s eyes were wide with anticipation, her lips parted. Kya was looking for a response. Some sort of go ahead. Lin nodded slightly. 

Kya put her hands on Lin’s face, cupping her cheeks. Lin’s breath hitched right before the gap closed between them. Kya’s eyes flitted closed as she placed a gentle kiss to Lin’s lips. It lingered only for a moment before she pulled away.

“Was that okay?” Kya’s voice was small 

“Yes,” Lin blinked, a pale flush flooding her cheeks. She grabbed Kya’s waist, and brought them together once more, kissing her back. Kya wrapped her arms around Lin’s neck, her hands tangled in Lin’s wet black hair. Their movement agitated the water, a bioluminescent blue lighting them as they kissed.


	2. Moonlight: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes kissing your best friend leads to more. Kya and Lin are trying their best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite movies of all time is Moonlight. In homage to queer love, and sexual awakening, some of this scene is inspired by it. 
> 
> Big thank you to twinkletoes for beta-ing this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

Their kiss started out meek. Kya kissed her lightly, her hand nestled in Lin’s hair and her thumb sometimes brushing over her ear. Lin kissed back tentatively and kept her hands stiffly on Kya’s waist. She was too afraid to move them elsewhere. When Kya pushed herself closer, Lin realized she could feel Kya’s chest pressed to hers, her breathing deepening, and her heart racing. She dared her hands to move lower. Kya craned her body upwards at the touch and hitched one of her legs around Lin. Lin slid her hands down her thighs, Kya hooking her other leg around her, too. Lin picked Kya up and stumbled until Kya’s back was up against the wall of the tide pool. Their kissing became urgent, open mouthed and sloppy, their hips rocking together. Kya pressed her center to Lin’s stomach, grinding herself against Lin’s abs. Lin instinctively bucked her hips. Kya moaned into her mouth. 

Lin’s eyes opened and she pulled away. Kya’s breathing was heavy. She looked at Lin expectantly.

“Are we really going to do this here?” Lin looked around.

“No, we can fuck on the towel instead.”

Lin stared at her.

“Not a joke,” Kya clarified.

“Oh, got it.” Lin released Kya and pushed herself out of the pool at lightning speed. She lent her a hand to pull her out. They rushed back to the beach blanket but were tripped up by the algae-slick rocks. They tumbled towards the towel, Lin falling squarely on her butt and Kya falling hard in her lap. The force was enough to push Lin to the ground with a thud. It hurt, the ground was uneven, and the added weight of Kya straddling her dug her pelvis into the rock. But, it didn’t matter. Lin was too distracted staring up at Kya.

Kya was a vision in the moonlight. Her brown skin was darkened by the starless night. The moonlight accentuated her features, softly highlighting her cheekbones and the curve of her neck a deep blue. Against the expanse of rocky cliff, the drone of the ocean, and the thick darkness they became a part of the night. To anyone else, they were unnoticeable, unknowable - just two shadows on the cliff. They stayed like this for a moment, their loud breathing audible to one another. This had been a long time coming.

Lin spoke first.

“I haven’t done this before...” her voice trailed off. She knew Kya had one previous girlfriend when she went on a summer-long trip to the South Pole. It started and ended there.

“Learning curve,” Kya said, reaching to unknot her bathing suit top and not really paying attention.

“No, I mean with anyone.”

“Oh,” Kya realized what Lin was trying to say. “We can go slow. Just tell me what you want.” She stroked Lin’s arm reassuringly.

“Yeah,” Lin replied, still amazed Kya was sitting atop her.

Lin thought she should make the next move. She sat up and grabbed the edges of her own wet tank top, pulling it over her head and casting it aside. 

“Damn, your tits are huge,” Kya joked.

“Really? Now?” Lin crossed her arms over her chest.

“No, no, I’m sorry,” Kya laughed. She put her hands on Lin’s arms, gently moving them away. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Lin’s collar bone. “I joke when I’m nervous.”

Lin sighed at the kiss.

Kya pulled away, regarding Lin nearly naked. “And I get nervous around pretty girls.” 

“Smooth.” Lin smiled, forgiving her joke. She did, however, miss Kya’s lips on her neck.

“Can – can you do more of that?” Lin asked sheepishly. Shy Lin was a rare sight so Kya happily obliged. She placed a kiss at the square of Lin’s jaw, making her way down her neck to her collar bone. Kya gave the skin there a little lick. It tasted of salt. Lin shivered.

“Lay down for me?” Kya asked. Lin nodded, lowering herself onto the blanket once again.

Kya laid on top of her now, supporting herself with her arms to either side of Lin. Kya started at Lin’s collar bone again, but trailed further. The tips of her long hair dragged against Lin’s skin, tickling slightly. As Kya moved down, her kisses lingered and became increasingly wetter. When she approached the swell of Lin’s breasts, she placed an open-mouthed kiss at the peak. Lin let out a harsh breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Kya ran her tongue over her nipple, feeling it harden, and reached one hand to massage Lin’s other breast. Lin shut her eyes at her touch.

Kya focused on Lin’s breasts, circling one of the nipples with her tongue and tweaking the other between her fingers. Eventually, her hand wandered downward. Kya slid her palm over Lin’s ribs to her toned stomach, relishing the tough muscle there. Lin squirmed realizing how close Kya was to her underwear. Kya’s hand stalled.

“Can I?” Kya spoke, looking up from Lin’s chest. Her voice was gentle and low.

“ _Yes_ ,” Lin replied. Kya felt a pang between her own legs hearing Lin’s breathless voice.

Kya inched her hand past the waistband and felt Lin’s curls between her fingers. She put her hand over Lin’s center, cupping her, and then set to work. Kya rubbed back and forth, her fingers sliding between her folds. Lin pushed her clit against Kya’s palm with each movement. Kya continued back and forth, slowly teasing wetness from her. Then, Kya would test Lin’s response, circling her and pushing a finger lightly into her entrance, but not all the way. She did this a few times and watched Lin gasp at the feeling. When Lin raised her hips to meet Kya’s pressure, she slipped a finger easily inside.

“ _Kya_ ,” she whined involuntarily.

The way Lin said her name rang in Kya’s ears. It was needy and wanting. She moved up to kiss Lin with new vigor, their mouths crashing together.

Lin wrapped her arms around Kya’s back, holding her as tight as possible. Kya moved her finger in and out of Lin, pushing in, curling up, and slipping out. Her hips lifted off the ground entirely, angling them so Kya could go deeper. Kya could feel her walls tightening. _Just a little more_ , she thought but she wanted to give her one last thing.

Kya abandoned the kiss and loosed herself from Lin’s grasp, instead placing hurried kisses down the length of her stomach. Kya removed her fingers for a split second and Lin made little noises in protest. _Why did she stop?_ Lin opened her eyes to the image of Kya sliding her underwear down her legs, and lowering her head between her thighs. She flicked her intense blue gaze back to Lin.

“ _Yes_ ,” Lin said before Kya buried her head between her legs. Kya added two fingers now, working with both her hand and mouth. Her fingers moved faster and pushed deeper, curling more suddenly, and her tongue lapped against Lin’s clit.

Lin needed something – _anything_ – to clutch onto. She reached out with one hand, digging her fingers into the rock and with her other she reached for Kya, knotting a hand in her hair.

“ _Don’t pull_.” Kya huffed.

Lin loosened her grip but held Kya’s head in place.

Lin was reckless now, rolling her hips in jerky motions. The built up pressure was becoming unbearable, her walls closing tightly around Kya’s fingers. Her lips were soft on Lin’s clit as she sucked it into her mouth. Kya gave her fingers one last curl inside of Lin, and swirled her tongue around her clit.

Lin dug her heels hard into the ground, casting her senses far out over the cliff. The solid rock was ringing with vibrations of the waves, sending the buzzing sensation back to her, back to her body, where she felt Kya on top of her and the pounding of her heart.

Lin’s head rolled back against the ground, her entire body arching upwards. Her muscles went rigid, instinctively tightening her legs around Kya’s head. The pressure in her stomach released and she fell slack.

After a few moments, Kya managed to pry Lin’s legs apart. Kya glanced up at Lin. Her eyes were still closed and her chest completely flushed, as she tried to regain her composure. She smiled proudly at the state she left Lin in and wiped her mouth with her hand.

Trying to be smooth, Kya moved up to give Lin a kiss just as Lin was about to sit up, accidentally headbutting her.

“Ow!” Lin’s hands flew to her face. 

“Shit, are you okay?”

Lin rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she chuckled.

“That’s good...But are you sure you don’t want me to kiss it better?”

“No, I do have some _other_ things in mind, though.”

“ _Is that so?_ ” Kya smirked.

Lin sat up, pulling Kya quickly into her lap and whispering into her ear, “I want to make you feel good.”

Kya loved Lin’s burst of confidence and reached to untie her own bathing suit.

“Let me,” Lin insisted. She reached to untie Kya’s bathing suit for her but could not unknot it.

“Fuck it,” Kya said, “just pull it over my head.” Lin complied and slid her top off, the wet fabric clinging awkwardly to Kya’s body before getting stuck in her hair. It took a bit of work to free it, Lin shooting Kya apologetic glances the whole time. When it was finally off, Lin had no words. It was, quite literally, her first time seeing boobs.

“Did your brain overheat?”

“Yes – no! What I mean is…what I’m trying to say…” She was turning red. Seeing Kya half naked stunned the confidence right out of her.

“Do you want to restart that sentence?” she chuckled. 

Lin took a deep breath.

“I want you to feel good, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.” Lin rubbed the back of her neck.

Kya was completely endeared by this easily-flustered side of Lin.

“How about,” she whispered, “ _you start by touching me?_ ” She reached for Lin’s wrists, guiding her hands to her chest. She pushed Lin’s hands firmly against her breasts. Lin began to rub them slowly.

“Like that,” Kya purred. Lin relaxed seeing Kya enjoy herself. 

Slowly, Kya moved off Lin’s lap and laid down on the towel. Lin followed and laid on top with one leg between Kya’s thighs. 

Lin massaged her breasts, switching off to rub her nipples with her thumbs, coaxing them to their peaks. The pattern Lin created a rhythm. Kya followed it, shifting up into her touch and then down against Lin’s leg. 

At first, perhaps the little bumps against her leg were just accidental. Then, Kya began to move against her leg harder and harder, lingering for a moment or two. Then, she added motion. Kya would press against Lin’s leg, moving her hips to rub herself up and down. The already wet bathing suit began to slick with Kya’s own wetness. She needed a better angle.

“Up,” Kya said. Lin sat up, kneeling over Kya. Kya sat up too, and gently pushed her into a sitting position. Kya stuck her hands squarely on Lin’s shoulders and repositioned herself to kneel over one of Lin’s thighs. Lin watched as she lowered herself and resumed her grinding. 

Her eyes were closed in concentration, trying to use the pleasant friction of her bathing suit against Lin’s leg to get off.

“Bend your knee.”

Lin took her direction and the angle she created allowed Kya to slide up and down with ease.

“Is this good? Should I be doing more?”

“ _No, it’s good_ ,” she panted. Kya committed to the motion now, moving quickly back and forth.

For a brief second, Lin caught her gaze. Her head was tilted down, but her half-lidded eyes looked up. Her mouth hung open slightly, and the whites of her eyes flashed before fluttering closed again.

Lin was starting to understand what Kya wanted. She moved her hands to grip Kya’s hips, pushed her firmly against her leg, and guided her grinding. Kya was thrilled at the touch and Lin’s added pressure, eliciting a moan.

Lin pulled Kya flush against her, allowing Kya to grind herself directly against her hips. Lin moved with her, feeling the roll of her hips against her own. She was worked up now, making sweet little noises with each movement. Hoping to push her further, Lin pressed kisses to Kya’s neck. Kya got lost in the feeling of her lips, the hot breath on her throat, the clumsy grazing of her teeth. Lin let out a little hum of pleasure against Kya’s skin. She moved from Kya’s neck to her chest, taking her breast into her mouth.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kya whined, digging her fingers into Lin’s shoulders. She doubled down on her efforts and sped up her grinding. 

Lin’s leg was damp as Kya’s wetness had soaked through her bottoms. Lin reached for them, tugging on the waistband gently. Kya knew what she was asking for but found it hard to speak, only managing to let out a strained _mhmm_.

Lin reached into her bathing suit to find her clit. Kya would shift her hips up, rubbing her clit against Lin’s fingers, then shift her hips down again. 

“ _Almost there_.” Kya knocked their hips together roughly.

Lin matched Kya’s fervor, rubbing her clit quickly. With one last upward movement of her hips, Lin cupped Kya’s center and pressed her thumb down hard against her clit. Kya yelped, lurching forward. She threw her arms around Lin’s neck, and gasped in her ear as she came.

She held Kya tightly as she rode out the last few shocks of her orgasm. She melted against Lin, putting all her weight on her body. Lin rubbed her back as she came down.

Kya nuzzled Lin’s neck, resting her head there. She could smell the shampoo in her hair. It smelled lightly of mint. She took a deep breath and sighed.

“Lin?” Her breathing was slowing.

“Yeah?”

“I want to stay like this.”

Lin nodded.

Lin laid down with Kya slumped against her body. Lin shifted trying not to disturb Kya and grabbed the corner of the beach blanket, throwing it over them both.

Kya rested her head against Lin’s chest. A subtle swell, the taking in of air, followed by an exhale were like the rise and fall of a wave. The motion felt as natural to her as the movement of the tides. Kya began to doze.

“Kya?” Lin whispered.

“Mm…” She was barely awake

“I love you, too.”

The last thing Kya remembered before falling asleep was the sleepy smile she felt spread across her face and the cool scent of mint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re awkward and dumb and I hope you liked em. This is my first nsfw fic, so I'd love any feedback or thoughts.
> 
> I have some ideas for a third chapter but I'm not sure about it. Let me know if you'd like to see more!
> 
> UPDATE 1/21/21: A third chapter is nearly done! Its a long one. I appreciate your patience


	3. Sunrise & Sunset: Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the morning after and Lin and Kya are sorting through their own emotions. Kya is afraid she’s messed up, Lin is hopeful, and everyone has a nice breakfast. But, where's Kya?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some reminders:
> 
> Changed Kya’s age from 19 to 20.  
> Suyin is 10, Tenzin is 17, Lin is 18, Kya is 20, Izumi is 21, and Bumi is 22.  
> Occurs pre-Lin's scars  
> Zuko and Sokka are Izumi's dads  
> Tenzin never dates Lin
> 
> cw anxiety attack, alcohol mention

The next morning, the sun rose, casting a brilliant orange over the waves.

Over the course of the night, Kya had shifted in her sleep and claimed Lin’s outstretched arm as her pillow. As Lin began to wake, her arm was completely numb, but she did not want to move and accidentally wake Kya. She looked so sweet, Lin thought, laying there on her side, face ensconced by her messy hair.

However, the more awake she grew, the more she could feel the abject soreness in her lower back. Lin wiggled slightly, trying to adjust herself, but was met with a grunt of displeasure from Kya. She kept still until after a few more moments when Kya sat up and shrugged the blanket off them.

Lin sat up after her, picking up her limp arm and dropping it into her lap like a deadweight. She massaged her bicep, trying to get the blood flowing back into it. She glanced to Kya who still had her eyes closed, grimacing at the increasing brightness. Lin studied her unabashedly.

Kya was hunched over, still quite groggy, and topless from last night. Strands of her dark brown hair were plastered to her cheek and sleep lines ran down her face from where she was nuzzled against Lin. She had seen all of Kya last night, but it was strange to see her in the morning light. She noticed different things about her now like how her eyelashes cast shadows on the tops of her cheeks, or how sparse freckles dotted her shoulders and chest, the little curve of her stomach as she was hunched forward.

Lin watched her ball her fists to clumsily rub the sleep from her eyes. Kya blinked her eyes open.

 _“Shit.”_ Kya jolted to her feet. _“Oh shit, shit, shit, shit,”_ she repeated.

Kya scanned the ground wildly before scurrying off the blanket, covering her breasts with her arm.

“What’s wrong?” Lin said, confused. She wrapped the beach towel around herself.

Kya seemingly ignored Lin as she bent down to pick clothes off the ground.

 _“Kya, what is wrong?”_ Lin said sternly.

Kya snapped out of it, turning to Lin.

“Dad is supposed to wake me for morning meditation.” Her tone was grave.

“Oh shit,” Lin echoed.

“Get dressed.” Kya flung a tank top at Lin before hurrying towards the tidepool. It was still damp, but she rushed to put it on.

Kya came back with her beach wrap, top, and Lin’s pajama pants. She threw the pants to Lin as she attempted to put her bathing suit top back on.

“Wait where’s my underwear?” Lin asked.

“I don’t know.” The straps were stuck in her hair again.

“It has to be right around here.” Lin looked from side to side.

“Just leave it for now.” Kya had her top on and moved to tying her wrap.

“What? No,” Lin said, still pantsless on the ground.

“You can get it later.”

“I’m not putting pants on without underwear.”

Kya put her hands on her hips.

“You have two options: ditch the underwear, or my dad finds out we fucked. What’ll it be?” She raised an eyebrow.

That was enough for Lin to hop to her feet and shimmy into her pants, burning the image of Uncle Aang from her mind.

“Come on!” Lin ran ahead, abandoning the beach towel and heading towards the cliff face. Kya grabbed her pipa and ran after her.

They stopped at the cliff right below Lin’s resort house.

“Here, hold on,” Lin gave Kya her hand, and with the other she raised the ground underneath them. A great pillar jutted up, raising them up the cliff. Kya wobbled, nearly losing her balance, but Lin pulled her close to steady her. It stopped just by the deck. Lin helped Kya over the railing before climbing over herself. With one deft movement of her foot, she sent the pillar straight back into the earth.

The two ran inside to the front window, peeking out to Kya’s resort which was directly across from Lin’s. Someone was waiting for her right outside her door.

“Dad sent _Tenzin_ to come get me? Somehow this is worse.” Kya groaned. “How am I supposed to get in there?”

Lin thought for a moment.

“If you sneak around the perimeter, you could go in through the backdoor.”

“The backdoor is locked from inside.”

“What about the back window?”

“That will work, but what about Tenzin?”

“I’ll handle him.” Lin said resolutely. Kya nodded.

The two parted, Kya preparing to sneak out the back and while Lin stood by the front door. She observed Tenzin then looked back to Kya, but she was already on the deck. Lin steeled herself and opened the front door.

“Kya, are you coming or not?” Tenzin was loudly complaining while knocking. “Are you even in there?” he huffed. “Hello?”

“Tenzin,” Lin said.

Tenzin wheeled around and clutched his chest.

“Oh! Good morning, Lin. I didn’t know you were awake.”

“Well, I am now.” She put her hands on her hips. “You woke me with your shouting.”

Tenzin stared at her. She must’ve looked a mess, but he didn’t say it.

“Sorry, I was trying to get hold of Kya. Dad sent me to wake her for morning meditation.” He crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I could hear that.”

“Right. Well, I’ve been knocking for five minutes and now I’m sort of worried. Do you know if she ever got home last night?”

“She made it back fine.” Lin waved her hand.

“She did?”

“Yes, she made it back late last night and woke me up in the process. Must run in the family.”

“Was she okay?” He ignored her dig.

“Yeah, just lost her keys. I had to bend the lock for her.”

They both turned as they heard Kya’s door start to open. Kya peeked her head out from behind it.

“Hey, Ten.”

“Finally. Are you ready to go?”

“Just – give me like ten minutes to change.”

“You’re not dressed yet?”

“No, but I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Usual spot?”

“Yes.”

“Got it.” Kya caught Lin’s gaze before ducking back inside.

Tenzin turned away from the door.

“I should’ve known she’d be late,” he sighed.

He began to walk away but paused for a moment.

“Lin?”

“Yes?”

“I know she’s a pain in the ass but thank you for checking on her. You’re a good friend, Lin.”

“No problem.”

* * *

Kya ran to the bathroom and began to furiously brush her teeth, her mouth frothing with foam. She made a point to scrub her tongue to remove Lin’s scent from her breath. Kya spit the toothpaste into the sink, dropped her toothbrush on the counter, and wiped the excess foam from the corners of her mouth. She reached for a hairbrush, desperately trying to rake it through her tangled hair. It was no use. She grumbled searching for a hair tie and settled on pulling her hair into a haphazard bun.

Exiting the bathroom, Kya flung her beach wrap and bathing suit to the floor. She slipped on a pair of clean underwear before searching her dresser for her meditation robe. She hesitated, holding the garment. She wouldn’t have time to do her bindings this morning. Kya threw the robe on anyway, smoothing the wrinkles with her hands.

Kya went back to the bathroom and inspected herself. She looked less disheveled than before which was an improvement. Her hands moved to the faucet, splashing her face with cold water a few times before drying it roughly with a hand towel. She headed to leave but stopped, raising an arm to sniff her armpit. She scrunched up her nose and back tracked to the counter, picking up a bottle of perfume. She dabbed some onto her fingers, placing it under her arms and on her neck.

_There. That should be good._

She left the bathroom, chugged the glass of water on her nightstand, and left.

Her feet picked up the pace as she headed to the outdoor temple. It was in a secluded area near the cliffs marked by an archway and small pavilion. The pavilion had fallen into disrepair with moss covering the roof tiles and plants reclaiming some of the wooden beams but it was their favorite place on the island to meditate together.

As Kya walked up, her father noticed her. He gave a wave and Kya waved back, trotting up to him and Tenzin.

“Sorry, I overslept,” she lied.

Tenzin had his arms crossed, obviously annoyed at her tardiness. He always took meditation with dad way too seriously. As usual, Bumi was nowhere to be found. He normally skipped out on their meditations anyway.

“You’re here now.” Her father smiled reassuringly. “Shall we begin?”

“Yeah,” Kya smiled back.

The three of them sat in a circle.

“Do you mind if I lead this one?” Aang asked.

Kya and Tenzin looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Go ahead,” Tenzin added.

Kya sat in the half-lotus position, her hands folded and resting in her lap. She straightened her back then closed her eyes.

“Good morning, Kya and Tenzin,” Aang began softly. “Let us greet the day with meditation. I will guide you through the beginning and from there let you find your own paths.”

They all took a deep breath together.

“Start by grounding yourself. Feel your connection to the earth through your feet and your back.”

Kya shifted, feeling a twinge in her lower back. _Shouldn’t have slept on a rock last night._

“Relax your body, let go of any tension you’re holding onto.”

Her thoughts wandered.

_Last night._

_Last night with Lin._

“And take a deep breath in with me through your nose.”

Kya inhaled deeply.

_Last night they watched the ocean, and swam in the tidepool under a full moon._

“And exhale…”

Kya exhaled, releasing a sigh.

_It felt like a dream._

“And again. Inhale,” Aaang inhaled deeply. “One…two…three…four…”

_And they kissed. She could remember it clearly. The bioluminescence made Lin’s green eyes look intense in the dark. The water was electric blue when the space closed between them. Lin’s lips were chapped._

“And release. One…two…three…four...”

Her heart sped up.

_She kissed me back._

“Draw yourself into your body.”

_Then, there was everything that happened after they kissed._

Kya stiffened.

“Welcome yourself into the present moment. We are here and now.”

_They went all the way, but Kya wanted that. She wasn’t embarrassed about it – besides maybe headbutting Lin. It all felt so right. She would have to tell Lin not to jab her in the clit next time, though._

A smirk crossed her face.

“If you find your thoughts wandering, that’s okay.”

_And Lin said I love you._

She’d waited years to hear that, almost convinced she never would. And she finally did…only now she was leaving in three weeks.

“Pull yourself back in and focus on your breath.”

Kya inhaled. Breath gathered in her lungs.

She’d always been caught between two things. First, she wanted to tell Lin but was too afraid she would ruin their friendship. Then, when Lin came out to her, she wanted to tell Lin but was too afraid to hurt her knowing she’d eventually leave.

If she didn’t tell her, nothing would happen. Now, she might have ruined their friendship and hurt her.

“And release again, feeling the warm air leave your lips.”

She pushed the breath from her lungs, but a heavy feeling would not leave her chest.

She tried again, breathing in on time with her father and brother. No difference. Her chest expanded but the breath in her lungs felt stagnant.

“Let your breath be your anchor…”

Kya had always known she could never stay.

Kya took after her mother in her bending and her looks, but she felt called to her father’s nomadic heritage like nothing else.

“Your anchor, grounding you to the earth.”

She felt it as a kid. It came in flashes like when she was transfixed by her father’s maps or the sounds of ships near the island at night. Then, it welled up slowly inside of her. It was a warm feeling that pulled her to linger by the ship ports, to sit on the docks. Now, it burned in her chest and she felt it every day. It told her: _Go anywhere, any direction. Go._

If she didn’t start now, she knew she never would. That insatiable feeling would sit in her chest, in her blood, and rot.

“Feel your breath begin to deepen.”

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t feel herself breathing at all. She didn’t know how.

Kya followed the motion, trying to hold and release, but no matter how hard she tried it wasn’t enough.

She needed air.

“Feel the breath fill your belly.”

Kya took short breaths in and out.

Dad was busy with Tenzin. Bumi was never around. Lin would only become busier now that she was on the force. There was nothing left for her.

Then, her mother told her about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity down south. A gathering of the world’s best healers and they wanted _her_ , asked for Kya by name. She said yes. She would focus on her training. Then, she would start to go. She would leave her feelings for Lin behind, and distance would dull them.

But, Lin loved her, and now she knew.

_There was supposed to be nothing left for me here._

“Now, let your breath guide you.”

Her throat felt tight. She strained to get any air into her lungs at all.

Suddenly, she was aware of how sticky her skin felt. The robes weighed her down. She shifted but the fabric felt taught against her neck. Over the tightness and the heaviness, that burning rose up in her chest, igniting like a flare.

“Breathe in.”

Kya’s eyes flew open.

 _“Go,”_ she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.

Her father and Tenzin opened their eyes.

“Kya,” Aang said, “Kya, are you all right?”

Her breathing was ragged.

“I have to –“ She stumbled to her feet.

“Kya?” Tenzin looked panicked. He reached out to her.

“No.” She backed away. “Alone. I – I need to be alone.”

She took off, following wherever her feet would go.

She stared at the ground while she ran, knocking small clouds of dust into the air with each footfall. Trees blurred passed her periphery. She ended up by the resorts, standing disoriented in the middle of them until she spotted her own. She ran inside and slammed the door.

Kya tore off her robes and ripped out her hair tie, heading for the bathroom. She locked the door and turned on the shower before feeling dizzy.

She was light-headed, her vision going dim. Kya hunched over the sink, gripping the cold countertop. She looked in the mirror. 

There was a red-blue bruise at the base of her neck.

_You’ve ruined everything._

* * *

Lin kept thinking about what Tenzin’s said before he walked away. _Thank you for checking in on her. You’re a good friend, Lin._

Would it be weird between them now? _We did a lot more than just checking in._ Lin tried ignoring the thought.

Lin made her way to the bathroom, stripping off her pajamas and placing them in the hamper by the door. Her shower from last night was rendered useless by the events that followed. She was still a bit mad she had to leave her underwear on the cliffs. Hopefully high tide hadn’t dragged them out to sea by the time she went to get them later.

Her mouth was unpleasantly dry with the aftertaste of sake. She ran the shower and stood in front of the sink, brushing her teeth while the water warmed.

The sink was backed by a mirror and Lin always made a point not to look. As a kid, they didn’t have any mirrors in the house because her mother had no use for them. It was only when she got older that Lin purchased a small mirror for her dresser. She used it to do her hair, occasionally check her outfits, and that was it. Looking into one for too long or seeing herself in one out of the corner of her eye unnerved her.

However, the large mirror in the resort house’s bathroom made it impossible not to look at herself. With her head down over the sink, she set her toothbrush aside and lifted her eyes to the glass. She dared to stare back at herself and met her own gaze. Raising her head, she looked at her body in the mirror.

To her surprise, she did not feel her usual detachment. Instead, she thought of where and how Kya had kissed her. Lin had no formal feelings towards her body. She had one, and it did what she needed it to do. That was good enough for her. Now, she felt something new. It was a small, warm feeling that made the edges of her lips curl up. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was happiness, but it was a positive feeling. It was _something._

Noticing she had a smile quirked on her face, she looked away.

Lin hadn’t fathomed that was ever going to happen last night. It just _happened_. She should stop thinking about it – but what if it happened again? And there the image was of Kya between her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut, banishing it from her mind. _Stop thinking about it._ But why?

Lin examined her hands. Kya seemed to like what she had done. Maybe next time she’d let Lin return the favor and go down on her.

 _Don’t get ahead of yourself._ She turned away from the mirror and sighed.

Lin got in the shower and managed to keep her thoughts at bay for its entirety.

Eventually, Lin got dressed, brushed her hair, and retrieved her hairpins from her nightstand. She stood, absentmindedly pinning back her hair when her eyes fell on something across the room – it was Kya’s pipa. It was leaned against the wall. She must have forgotten it.

She thought about Kya again. _Last night was a fluke. That’s all._ She rolled her eyes at herself.

Lin turned her back to the instrument and put the pin she had been holding in her mouth into her hair.

_But, she said I love you. I love you is not a fluke._

Lin paused.

Kya had been moody the whole trip because of her. Kya was conflicted about _leaving_ because of _her._

_Agni, why didn’t Kya say anything sooner?_

Had there been any signs before this? If so, she couldn’t tell. Kya had always been overly friendly, but she was like that with everyone…right?

Lin furrowed her eyebrows, thinking back to when Kya had come out.

Kya must’ve been about thirteen. She mentioned it casually, and it wasn’t a surprise. Lin always had a feeling since she never mentioned boys and the questionable number of avatar Kyoshi posters in her room was a dead giveaway.

Then, when Lin was fifteen, she realized she liked men and women. She told Kya and Kya didn’t make a big deal out of it. What Lin didn’t tell her is that she had an inkling of a crush on Kya, but dismissed it. It was normal to want to spend all her time with her best friend. Nothing should change between them just because they both liked women. And, nothing did change. Well, perhaps there were a few more casual touches such as a hand on her shoulder, her arm, her back. But, that was just Kya and she shouldn’t assume Kya liked _her._

Lin’s eyes searched the wall as she thought harder. Then, there was sharing the same bed whenever Lin visited Air Temple Island. There were plenty of spare rooms, but Lin didn’t see the point in using them. They’d always shared Kya’s bed since they were kids. Whenever Lin visited, she never asked to sleep anywhere else and Kya never said she couldn’t sleep with her. It was normal for them. There was also cuddling from time to time - but the bed was small, it couldn’t be helped.

She thought about their healing sessions. When she worked herself too hard after a training session, which was most days, she would go to see Kya for her cuts and bruises. She remembered Katara was there at the beginning of them but always seemed to disappear, leaving her with Kya. So, Lin started to just ask for Kya. Lin also remembered being shirtless most of the time. Kya had never told her to remove her shirt per se, Lin just figured it helped. Then, Lin learned from Aunt Katara that healers could heal people over their clothes. Their next session, she remembered Kya’s sly smile as her hands ghosted over her muscles. Lin still took off her shirt and Kya had to know that she knew.

Lin slapped her hand to her forehead.

_I’m fucking oblivious._

Kya had been flirting with her for years. She was just waiting for Lin to notice.

Even last night when Kya was telling her about this “special girl” and looking her dead in the face, Lin assumed it was someone else. But no, Kya had meant her. She meant I love you and Lin meant it back.

She looked at the pipa now, smiling fondly, and for just one moment Lin Beifong let herself hope.

_Maybe she’ll stay._

* * *

Lin knocked at Kya’s door, uncertainty swirling in her stomach and her fist clenched at her side. _What are you even doing?,_ she thought.

Kya hadn’t so much as looked at her before she snuck away, and here she was at her front door. This was a dangerous game. Kya was a “feelings” person and she always wanted to “talk” about them. Lin had no clue what Kya would say to her or even what she would say to Kya, but she hoped they might walk to breakfast together.

She knocked again, her hand slightly shaking. _You’re being an idiot._ The fact there was no response was almost worse. Lin backed away from the front of the house and noticed steam coming from one of the vents. Kya must be showering.

“Morning, Lin!”

Lin turned her head to see Izumi walking towards her, leaving the resort house adjacent to Kya’s. She was wearing a red and gold trimmed tunic over a darker red skirt with her hair in its signature topknot.

“Morning, Izumi,” Lin said, a bit surprised. She tried to play it off like she wasn’t waiting for Kya.

“Heading to breakfast?” Izumi caught up to her.

“Yep.”

“I’ll join you, then.” Izumi smiled.

Lin cast a furtive glance at the front door then to Izumi.

“Great.” Lin tried to smile, too.

They began to walk away from the resort area.

“How are you holding up from last night?” Izumi started.

“Fine. Did you think I had too much?”

“No,” Izumi laughed, “but you definitely hogged the bottle. I also saw you wobble trying to pick up your stuff. I thought it was funny.”

“I wasn’t as bad as Bumi.”

“Spirits, he put all his weight on me. He was like a sack of bricks,” Izumi laughed. “Thanks for carrying him the rest of the way.”

“No problem.”

“What was he mumbling the whole time?”

“He wouldn’t stop thanking me. Something about no soldier left behind.”

“Sounds like Bumi.” Izumi cleared her throat. “Your actions showed great valor.”

“Anything for my fellow men.”

“I think a medal is in order.”

“Should I expect it from the Fire Lord himself?”

They both laughed now.

Izumi’s matter-of-fact personality was similar to Lin’s, making it easy for the two to get along. They often enjoyed each other’s dry humor, and both had the habit of continuing deadpanned jokes for way too long. It especially confused Tenzin when he couldn’t figure out where the joke started or ended, amusing Lin even more.

Izumi spoke up again.

“Hey, did you happen to stay up late last night?”

That was out of nowhere.

“No. Why?” Lin had been too quick to respond. Hopefully, Izumi hadn’t noticed but she was quietly perceptive.

“Just wondering if Kya got back all right.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t stay up late but she woke me up when she got back. She lost her keys and needed me to open the lock.”

“Oh, good. I wasn’t up long but I looked at the moon for a bit. I wanted to try a new tea before bed.”

“Which one?”

“The hojicha from in town the other day. I think you’d really like it. It put me right to sleep,too.”

“I’ll have to try it sometime.”

The two made it to the breakfast hall without Izumi asking her any more questions about Kya. She was lucky she didn’t have to lie too much to Izumi. Tenzin was easier to fool because he was afraid of her steely demeanor. Izumi, on the other hand, could nearly always tell when she was lying.

Approaching the door, she saw Tenzin arriving. The three of them exchanged greetings and bantered a bit. Lin predicted it would be Kya who showed up next, then Bumi. Kya’s version of “on time” was loose at best and Bumi showing up at all was a miracle. However, he never missed an opportunity where food was involved.

The dining room was a decent size with multiple tables. They were a dark, polished wood and low to the ground, set with cups and chopsticks. All the tables were empty save for the one occupied by their parents. The room was likely kept cleared by the staff knowing the Fire Lord and the avatar’s families would be visiting.

The three of them padded over the tatami and took up a cushion to kneel on, Lin sitting next to Izumi and across from Tenzin. Glancing over, Lin saw Aunt Katara, Uncle Aang, and Uncle Sokka engaged in conversation but Uncle Zuko wasn’t there. She hadn’t seen him a whole lot this trip. She assumed he brought his work and stayed behind to do it. She was a lot like him in that respect.

Servers entered the room shortly after they arrived. They poured tea into their cups before exiting the room, leaving the teapot behind.

Lin was glad to have some tea. She always relished that first warm sip that emanated warmth throughout her body. She put the cup to her lips, sipping it carefully. It was oversteeped. While she would normally be annoyed, she did not particularly care about it today. The screen doors let a pleasant amount of light stream in along with a drifting breeze. She continued to drink it, not really paying attention to Izumi and Tenzin’s conversation.

About fifteen minutes went by and still no sign of Kya or Bumi for that matter. Come to think of it, why didn’t Kya arrive with Tenzin?

All other thoughts left her mind when she caught a whiff of food. More servers entered carrying trays, setting one down in front of each of them. She did not realize how hungry she was until she saw the meal in front of her: tamagoyaki, pickled vegetables, rice, miso, and two strips of salted salmon. _Pan-fried_ salted salmon with crispy skin. They never ate like this at home.

At home, Lin cooked for herself and Suyin, but she only had a knack for the basics. If her mother was at work late, Toph ate what was in the fridge or sometimes just went to bed. Lin would love to be able to cook like this, prepare a real meal, and sit down together for once. 

“Lin, you’ve been quiet,” Izumi pointed out. “What do you think?”

“Hm?” She looked up, her mouth full of rice.

“About the Fire Nation’s trade relations with the Northern Water Tribe,” Tenzin supplied.

She swallowed.

“I think it’s barely ten in the morning.”

As much as she loved Izumi, she and Tenzin had the habit of getting into history or politics at all hours of the day. She was involved in enough politics in Republic City.

Lin took a long sip of her burnt green tea.

“Well,” Tenzin began, “I was telling Izumi that considering the implications of – “

_Someone else show up. Please. I’ll even take Bumi at this point._

Then, as if on cue, Bumi appeared.

“Good morning!” he boomed. He walked in, his hair a wild mess but dressed decently in a brown shirt, black pants, and boots.

Instead of taking the spot next to his brother, Bumi sat at the edge of the table. Bumi reached across the table, ruffling Tenzin’s hair that was growing back then putting his arm around Lin and pulling her into a hug. Izumi was spared because she was not in his reach.

“Bumi,” Lin warned.

He retracted his arm.

“You’re awfully chipper for someone we had to drag up the hill last night,” said Izumi.

“Quite the surprise,” Tenzin spoke next.

“That I’m up before noon?”

“That and you’re not hungover.”

“Well, they don’t call me twelve-bottles-Bumi for nothing.”

“No one calls you that,” Tenzin scoffed.

“Then you haven’t heard of my tales from Ba Sing Se.” Bumi reached for a piece of Lin’s salmon.

“You ass!” She swatted his hand and he yelped dramatically, withdrawing it.

“Someone’s cranky.” He rubbed his hand.

“Salmon’s off limits and you know it,” Izumi said, popping a pickled cucumber in her mouth. “If you want your own, I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

“Why don’t you scavenge off your brother?” Lin pulled her tray closer to herself.

Bumi shot Tenzin a pleading look and Tenzin rolled his eyes, pushing over his dish of pickled vegetables which Bumi eagerly took. He munched for a few minutes while the others continued their meal before realizing something was off.

“Wait a minute, where’s sis?” He looked around. “Did I make it here before her?”

Lin was glad he asked.

“I just figured she would be late.” Izumi shrugged.

“Me, too,” Lin said.

“But, later than me?”

“That is odd now that you mention it.” Izumi put her hand to her chin. “Have you heard anything from her, Ten?”

“Wasn’t she at meditation with you?” Bumi questioned.

After the disastrous meditation, his dad put his hand on his shoulder and told him not to go after his sister. He said it was likely she was nervous about her upcoming trip and meditating on it made it worse. They decided to heed her plea to be left alone for a while, but he and his father had not discussed what to tell his friends. He began to sweat.

They all looked at him.

“Yes,” he cleared his throat, “she was with dad and I this morning.”

“Where is she now?” Bumi raised an eyebrow.

“She um, had to leave early. She wasn’t feeling well - womanly troubles.” It was the only thing he could think of that he knew Izumi and Lin would understand and also get Bumi to stop asking questions.

And, it worked. Lin and Izumi’s questioning looks turned to that of knowing as they nodded and Bumi immediately lost interest.

“Sorry I asked,” Bumi said.

“Has she eaten anything?” Izumi asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“Maybe one of you should bring her something.” Bumi pointed between Izumi and Lin. He had finished his pickled vegetables and reached to steal some tamagoyaki from Tenzin’s plate.

Lin was about to volunteer but Izumi spoke first.

“I can go.”

“Are you sure?” Lin asked, but what she really meant was _I want to go._

“Yeah, I need to get my glasses from my room before the play anyway. If I don’t, I might as well just go and close my eyes. Same effect. I’ll bring Kya something from the kitchen on my way over.”

Lin couldn’t counter that. Izumi’s reason was valid and if she pressed further it might make her suspicious. She hushed her disappointment with a mouthful of salmon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge huge thanks to my beta, Twinkletoes, for their always insightful notes and to FyreArcana for suggesting a meditation scene. You're amazing!
> 
> Sorry this took so long, I wanted it to be perfect. It was originally 10k so you get 5k now and the rest next week. Stay tuned for part ii and the final fifth chapter!
> 
> Oh, and Katara 100% knew what she was doing.


	4. Sunrise & Sunset: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumi checks in on Kya, Kya goes to the play, and she and Lin finally get the chance to talk - but it makes things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always to the lovely Twinkletoes for being my beta reader!

Kya had been in the shower for some time. She sat on the tiles, her eyes closed as the water hit her chest. The shower did what the meditation could not and eventually slowed down her breathing. The sting of the cold water brought her back to herself and when she could no longer stand watching the water swirl down the drain, she stood up. Almost mechanically, she washed her hair and her body.

Eventually, she did leave the shower, but as soon as she stepped out, dread boiled in the pit of her stomach knowing she’d have to face Lin at breakfast. Kya had barely said a word to Lin before leaving her this morning, but she already knew how it would play out.

If she tried to talk about last night, she threatened to make Lin uncomfortable and when Lin got uncomfortable, she would insist she did not care or push her away. However, Kya knew that Lin cared very deeply. Lin was not an outwardly emotional person, but during every argument there was always that fraction of a second where her walls would fall down, the corners of her lips twitching just slightly before her expression hardened again. Then, Lin would do what she’d always done: redirect, lash out, and storm off, her anger proportional to how hurt she felt.

Kya couldn’t face her. She didn’t want to hurt Lin and she couldn’t bear her brother and her father after the scene she caused during their meditation. She resolved to throwing on an underdress and laying on the bed. She stared at the ceiling trying to summon that detached feeling she maintained in the shower. At some point, she had closed her eyes. She didn’t know for how long until there was a knock at the door.

“Kya?”

It was Izumi.

Kya slowly moved from the bed to the door .

“Hey, Izumi.” She cracked open the door. She was wary.

“Hey Kya, we missed you at breakfast, so I brought you something.” Izumi held out a small container, prompting Kya to open the door more. She must’ve been out for a while.

“Thanks, Zumi.” Kya opened the door the rest of the way and took the food from her.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“What did my brother tell you?” Kya was cautious.

“He said you were experiencing womanly troubles.” Izumi snickered, remembering Tenzin’s uncomfortableness. “I figured you might have cramps or something.”

She could work with that. Kya took a deep breath and put on a smile.

“Did that little shit tell everyone?” She groaned, feigning annoyance.

“Yeah!” Izumi laughed more.

“I’m gonna get him for that later.”

“Really, how are you feeling, though?”

“To be honest? Like shit, Zumi.” She rested her free hand on her stomach. Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

“I thought that might be it, so I brought you this.” Izumi pulled a sachet from her pocket and held it between them. “It’s ginger tea. Helps with cramps,” she added.

“You’re the best.” She took the sachet from Izumi in her other hand.

“No problem. Do you think you’ll be able to go to the play with us later?”

“I don’t think so. I think I need to lie down for a while.”

“They’re that bad? Do you need me to get your mom?”

“No,” Kya said quickly. “No, they’re not that bad.”

“So, maybe you’ll go to the play?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I just need to lie down for a while,” she repeated.

Izumi eyed her suspiciously but conceded.

“All right, I understand.” She paused. “I heard you were up pretty late last night, so you could probably use the rest anyway, right?”

 _“What?”_ Her tone was sharper than intended.

Izumi raised both her eyebrows.

“You weren’t out late last night?” Izumi tilted her head to the side in honest confusion.

“No, I wasn’t.”

“But Lin said you were.”

“What exactly did Lin tell you?”

Izumi did not understand Kya’s sudden change in tone.

“She said you came back from the beach late and that she had to open your lock for you.”

 _Oh._ Kya misconstrued what Izumi originally meant but, by principle, she had to stick with her lie now.

“No, I came up right after you all left.” Her tone was softer, trying to sound less defensive.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Izumi folded her arms.

“I drank some tea outside before bed and I didn’t hear or see you come back.”

Kya froze.

Izumi leaned against the door frame and smiled.

“So, who is she?”

“What?”

“Who were you with last night?”

“Why would I be with anybody?”

“One: you story doesn’t make sense, and two,” Izumi pointed to her neck.

 _Fuck._ Kya’s hand flew up to cover the hickey. She’d forgotten to heal it before she left the shower.

“You know if you don’t start talking, I’m going to start guessing.”

Kya said nothing.

“Fine, I’ll guess. I already have some ideas. Is it the girl from a few houses over?”

“No.”

“The kuai ball player? With the abs? I remember you talking to her for a while.”

“No.”

Izumi paused to think.

“It’s a reach but, the hot springs attendant?”

“Izumi.” 

“What about the –“

_“Please stop.”_

It was rare to see Kya unable to take some of the teasing that she regularly doled out, and her reaction clued Izumi in, her smile only widening.

“It was the hot springs attendant! How’d you even meet her last night?”

“No, it wasn’t – it – we didn’t.”

Izumi studied her face more carefully. She didn’t seem annoyed or defensive like she had a few moments ago. Her furrowed brows had fallen, and a frown tugged at her lips that were previously pressed into a tight line. She was flustered, tripping over her words, but her voice weakened. Something was different.

It was then that Izumi knew, and chose her next words carefully.

“Is it someone we know?”

Kya’s expression crumbled completely.

“Oh, Kya,” she said knowingly, “was it…” Her sentence trailed off.

Kya nodded quickly, tears already pricking at her eyes.

Kya backed away from the door and Izumi followed her in, closing it softly behind them. Izumi took the food from Kya’s hands and set it aside. She sat on the bed and looked at Kya who stood in the middle of the room clenching and unclenching her fists. Kya had managed not to cry all morning, but Izumi’s presence made it hard to hold back.

Izumi waited, expecting her to start but she only stared at the floor.

“Come here,” Izumi sighed, holding out her arms.

Kya walked into her arms and her friend hugged her tightly. She joined Izumi on the bed and perched her chin over her shoulder.

Izumi rubbed Kya’s back waiting for her to speak.

“I told her,” Kya managed to get the words out.

Izumi felt Kya’s breath hitch as she began to cry, her tears rolling freely. She cried quietly, save for a few sharp breaths. She let Kya do this for a few minutes before speaking.

“What did she say?” Izumi braced herself.

“That she loves me, too.” Kya gave a sad laugh, hiccupping a bit.

“Kya! That’s great!” She pulled away from her friend to look at her but it was obvious that Kya was still aching.

“Isn’t that good? I mean, it looked like it went well,” Izumi said, referencing the hickey.

“I don’t know. I tried telling her without telling her for so long and just - _nothing._ I couldn’t be around her like this if it wasn’t going to change. I had to leave and now – “ Kya was rambling.

“Kya, what happened last night?” Izumi took her hand.

“I – she found me on the beach. I said too much, and she wouldn’t leave me alone so I told her I loved her.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. You said she feels the same way?”

“I told her first.”

“That’s all right.”

“Then, we kissed.”

“Okay.”

“And then we had sex.”

Izumi had to sit back at that one.

Izumi had always been the one person Kya divulged her feelings to since she first recognized them.

She was there when it was just a crush, awkward and newly formed. They were at a family gathering on Air Temple Island, walking around the compound after dinner when Kya asked for advice. Kya was scared because the feeling was entirely new. It made her talk fast and say stupid things and she didn’t know if Lin even liked her and she hated it. Izumi told her it was okay to be nervous, that sometimes crushes just happen. 

She was there when Kya was fifteen and Kya suspected something about Lin. She told Izumi over pai sho that when she would practice her bending forms, Lin would stare and stare and stare and if she wasn’t staring, she was asking Kya to spar near constantly. Izumi thought it was cute, and to let Lin figure it out first. 

Then, Lin came out and Kya was so excited. They were all celebrating the solstice together and Kya went back and forth between wanting to tell Lin that night and becoming scared that saying something would ruin their friendship if she did not feel the same. This time, Kya was determined to make it incredibly obvious. She would show her instead of telling her, hoping if Lin felt the same, she’d say something. Izumi agreed. 

When Kya was seventeen, it became serious. Izumi heard about the healing sessions and the way Lin would blush when Kya teased her or how Lin always asked Kya to braid her hair before her training. Lin’s feelings felt obvious and it was only a matter of time. Get her alone, go somewhere together, and give her the chance to say it, Izumi encouraged. Kya did those things, but nothing happened. 

Kya turned nineteen and she couldn’t do it anymore. Kya told Izumi how they shared her bed, how they’ve _always_ shared the bed. Until, one morning, she woke up with Lin’s arm around her and Lin refused to look at Kya for the rest of the day. Then, Lin wasn’t around as much. She was busy finishing police academy training, and practicing her metal bending. If she was around, it only hurt her. That’s when Kya told Izumi about the burning feeling in her chest and Izumi understood. She knew how it felt to hold fire in her hands, to watch the flame dwindle but not die, the ember always crackling. Izumi told her to go, too. 

So, Kya trained even harder with her mother, shadowed doctors at the hospital, and took on her first patients. Eventually, she planned to set out for the rest of the world. A group of Master healers was going to convene down south, and they heard of Kya’s skill. The opportunity to travel and learn fell into her lap. All of this and now, Lin requited Kya’s feelings.

“I’m so sorry,” was all Izumi could say.

Kya’s face fell again and they embraced, crying harder this time.

“I feel so stupid. I should’ve told her sooner. We could’ve had more time.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! I don’t know what’s worse: leaving and never knowing or leaving and knowing. Now, I feel like what was the point of any of this. Why didn’t she say something earlier if she meant it?”

“Kya, you made a decision in order to protect yourself, your friendship, and to move on. It’s the best one you could’ve made at the time. But, this is where you are now. You need to focus on what can still be done.”

“Spirits, Zumi, I know.” She pulled away. “I just wish it was different.”

“I know,” she sighed. “What do you think you’ll do?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t talked about it. I don’t think I can even look at her right now.” Kya put her head in her hands.

“Is this why you weren’t going to come to the play?”

“Yes.” Her cheeks were hot with shame.

“Kya, you _cannot_ avoid her.” Izumi frowned. “You know it’s not right.”

“I know, but I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You will hurt her if you don’t talk to her.”

Kya picked her head up and Izumi continued.

“Lin already knows you’re still going. You were given an opportunity and you took it. Why wouldn’t you? We all knew you were going to travel someday anyway. Lin knows this is a big next step for you and you’re not going to suddenly stop now.”

“Because Lin is historically very understanding, right?” Her tone was bitter.

“Lin is who she is. She is going to be upset, she might be mad, but she knows you’re still going. Right now, she probably feels like you. If you really love her, you should talk to her.”

Kya nodded.

“And, if she loves you, she will understand.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I know so. I don’t know why Lin has never said anything until now, but we both know Lin doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean. Whatever is between you two is special, but you have to talk to her. You owe each other that.”

Kya straightened her back and wiped the tears off her face.

“You’re right,” she sniffed.

“Why don’t you eat and get ready? We’ll meet them at the theater. You can do this.”

“Thank you, Zumi.” Kya smiled.

* * *

Izumi helped Kya muster up the courage to leave her room, and Kya made sure to heal herself before stepping outside this time. They walked together to the theater and, as they approached, they could see their parents standing outside. Sokka noticed Izumi and Kya first and waved them over.

“Hey, you two!” Sokka yelled as they paced up to the adults.

“Hi, dad.”

“Hey, Uncle Sokka.”

“What took you two so long?”

“Womanly troubles,” Izumi replied without missing a beat. Kya shot Izumi a look before looking to her Uncle.

“Yeah, sorry I missed breakfast. I wasn’t feeling well.”

“You sure it wasn’t a late night?” Sokka mimed a drinking motion with his hand and Zuko, standing next to him, rolled his eyes.

 _“Dad.”_ Izumi pinched the bridge of her nose just like her other father was prone to do.

“You know, Kya, sometimes after our bonfire nights, your mother would get so -”

 _“Sokka._ ” Katara threatened. 

“I’m just saying,” he held up his hands, “we know what you kids are up to down there.” 

Kya didn’t pay as much attention to the conversation, noticing instead the look on her father’s face. He held his hand to his chin and his forehead creased with worry thinking of this morning’s meditation. She looked at him quickly and flashed a small smile. Aang nodded; he didn’t know what was wrong, but he’d rather not press, not here. He kept the incident between him and his children.

Sokka turned to his niece and patted her on the back. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Kya. Now, let’s all head inside so I can get snacks before the play starts.”

They made their way inside and Sokka and Aang beelined for the fireflake vendor. The rest of them were greeted by an usher. He led them to a stairwell that was separated from the rest of the room by a curtain, drawing it back before escorting them up to the second floor. From there, the usher led them to Zuko's private box seats.

Inside, a large red and white rug with intricate woven patterns covered the wooden floor and the room was furnished with two rows of red-cushioned chairs with ornate gold backings. From the box, one had a magnificent view of the right of the stage that was closed off by the curve of a polished dark wooden railing.

As they entered, Tenzin, Lin, and Bumi were already seated in the second row of chairs. Lin heard them come in and turned around in her seat. Aware that Kya might freeze, Izumi pushed her forward.

“Hey, Lin,” Izumi said as they neared the chairs.

Lin narrowed her eyes.

“You left me alone with these two.” Tenzin and Bumi were sitting beside her, Tenzin clearly annoyed and Bumi clearly teasing him.

“Sorry,” she laughed. She squeezed between the row of seats to face Tenzin and Bumi. “All right, move over you two. Lin needs a break.”

Bumi moved down to sit on the end, not minding as long as he got to torment his little brother. Tenzin opened his mouth to protest but the heat of Lin’s glare convinced him otherwise, moving promptly.

“Thank Agni,” Lin groaned.

“Consider this a thank you for your service,” Izumi said with a straight face.

Kya watched Lin smile at this but didn’t question it, figuring it was another one of their inside jokes.

As Izumi settled into her seat, she was soon looped into the conversation with Bumi and Tenzin. This left Kya standing awkwardly over the only other seat left next to Lin.

Lin noticed and looked up at her.

“Hi,” Kya said meekly.

“Hi.”

Though still uneasy, Lin’s greeting was enough to convince Kya to sit down.

They remained quiet, sitting next to each other and purposely avoiding eye contact. Both were unsure how to start talking since last nights events. Said events had been running through the both of their minds all morning. Instead, they opted for an intensely awkward silence.

The lights couldn’t have dimmed soon enough, signifying the start of the play.

More comfortable in the dark, Kya and Lin adjusted themselves in their seats, accidentally resting their arms on their armrests at the same time. They were so close that their arms touched. Lin could feel the goosebumps forming on Kya’s arm. _She’s nervous_ , she thought. Lin slipped her foot out of her shoe, and tapped her heel to the floor. She was right, and she didn't need to be on solid rock for her to sense the rapid beat of Kya’s heart. Still, neither could bring themselves to move. Moving away was not an option, and moving closer was too terrifying. Lin fixed her eyes on the stage.

Then, Lin felt Kya’s pinky finger graze her own. It was a feather-light touch that could have been an accident but, thinking about everything this morning, Lin realized that Kya’s touches were never accidents.

Lin kept looking ahead but decided to press her pinky next to Kya’s. Lin reminded herself that Kya was nervous, too and pressed on, looping her pinky around Kya’s and Kya curling hers around Lin’s.

Lin felt a rush at the touch. As it slowly faded, she was suddenly unsatisfied with just their pinkies lamely looped together. Kya’s arm next to hers was stiff and Lin decided to make the next move for once. Why shouldn’t she? She wanted more.

Lin let go, turning her hand palm up. Without any hesitation, Kya slid her hand into Lin’s. Her hand was cool and slender, and the brush of Kya’s smooth palm against her own sent a tingle up Lin’s spine as their fingers intertwined. Now, goosebumps formed on Lin’s skin.

Kya began to rub her thumb against the rough skin of Lin’s hand. The tender movement made Lin blush and Kya must’ve known. 

Kya shifted beside her, leaning in.

“Lin,” she whispered.

Lin did not take her eyes off the play.

She got even closer.

“Lin.”

Lin could feel her breath against her cheek.

If she turned her head their lips would meet.

 _“Lin.”_ She said her name again in that same husky whisper from last night.

Lin’s attention left the play, and she moved to turn her head.

“Your hand is all sweaty.” Kya quickly leaned away.

Lin flushed completely and didn’t need to look at Kya to know she had on her shit-eating grin.

* * *

Holding hands helped them both relax. Kya leaned over the armrest, her shoulders touching Lin’s, and Lin’s head slightly tilted to the side, sharing Kya’s space.

Lin had a hard time focusing on the play for every time Kya fidgeted, it drew Lin’s attention to just how much of Kya was touching her. It made her heart race over and over, drowning out the voice in the back of her mind that told her to be cautious just when it threatened to start up again.

Kya had said her palm was sweaty which was true. Thinking about it made Lin worry that she might be making Kya uncomfortable. As if she could tell Lin might wriggle away, Kya would periodically squeeze her hand and convince her to keep it there. Lin admired the dedication.

After some time, the play ended. The house lights came back on and Kya’s hand slipped out of hers, separating herself from Lin. The sudden brightness and the loss of warmth she felt as Kya moved away let doubt rise in her again. Everything they had shared so far had only been in the dark.

When other theater goers began to stir, the adults around them stood up. Katara and Zuko moved away from their seats, already starting to talk about the play, while Aang and Sokka stuffed the remnants of their fireflakes into their mouths.

They all moseyed out of the private box down to the lobby with Bumi, Kya, Lin, Tenzin and Izumi walking in a clump.

“Did you guys like it?” Izumi asked.

“Yeah!” Bumi started. “Which one was that? Dragon Love? Dragons in Love?”

“You were asleep for half of it.” Tenzin crossed his arms. “And, it’s the Love of the Dragon.”

“It’s Love _Amongst_ the Dragons. You’re both idiots.” Izumi corrected them both.

“I liked what I was awake to see, Zumi.” Bumi turned to Tenzin. “You can’t fault me for falling asleep in a dark room when I didn’t even get my full twelve hours last night. I’m a growing boy, Tenny.”

Bumi and Tenzin were about to start up again just as they were exiting the theater.

Kya patted her pockets.

“Aw, guys you know what?” Kya said. “I think I dropped my keys somewhere. They’re probably in the box. I’m going to go look.”

“You’d lose your legs if they weren’t attached to you.” Bumi took the opportunity to pick on Kya, making Tenzin laugh with him this time.

Kya ignored them and looked at Lin.

“What?”

“Would the metalbender like to offer her services?”

“Oh - yes, I’ll help you look.”

“All right, we’ll catch up with you guys. Don’t wait for us!” Kya backed away, pulling Lin by the arm.

“We’ll see you at the hot springs,” Izumi called as she walked with the group. Before walking away completely, she gave Kya a covert smile and a thumbs up.

Lin and Kya headed back into the theater together.

“Did you really lose your keys?”

“Here? No,” Kya laughed. “I lost those things days ago.”

“Then what are we doing?”

“Just wait.” They stood in the mostly empty lobby for a few minutes until Kya peeked out the door. When she was sure their family and friends were out of sight, she turned back to Lin. “Now, we can walk back together.”

“Good idea.”

“Yeah, I have a few of those,” Kya said with a grin on her face.

Lin followed her out the door and down the path, the two of them rejoining their hands as they walked. They didn’t say much at first. Lin kicked small rocks in her way and Kya decided to walk the length of a downed tree by the side of the path. As she was about to hop down, Kya slipped off the log, stumbling and pulling Lin with her. Kya landed with her back against a tree and Lin was able to stop herself by planting her hands firmly against the bark, effectively pinning Kya.

Lin’s first instinct was to pull away, but she stopped herself when she noticed how intently Kya was staring at her.

Lin leaned in and stalled right before meeting her lips, feeling Kya’s eyelashes brush her face as they fluttered closed. Then, she pressed their lips together.

When Lin pulled back, Kya opened her eyes.

 _“Hi,”_ Kya said.

“Hi,” Lin repeated their greeting from earlier. “I didn’t get to do that this morning.”

Kya quirked a smile at her admission.

“Ooh, you wanted to kiss me so bad.”

“Shut up.” Lin released Kya from the pin.

“Speaking of this morning, thanks for distracting Tenzin for me.”

“No problem. He’s easy to intimidate.”

“What’d you say to him?” Kya looked delighted.

“I yelled at him for ‘waking me up’.” Lin laughed. “He had no idea I was outside, so I scared him, too.” Lin smiled, pleased with herself. “Are you feeling better, though?”

“Did Tenzin tell _everybody_ I was on my period?”

“He told the whole table that’s why you weren’t at breakfast.”

“Great. But, I’m not actually. I just told him that so I could sleep in after meditation.” _Another lie_ , Kya thought.

Lin nodded.

With the way it was going so far, Kya figured that things must be normal enough between them, so she seized the newfound opportunity to tease Lin.

“But, if I was on my period, I think _you_ would’ve known last night.”

Kya enjoyed seeing Lin’s face grow red.

“I might not have noticed considering you were busy riding my thigh into the ground.”

Now, Kya blushed.

“My leg is still sore, by the way.”

“Not sorry considering the little gift you left on my neck. I had to heal it before coming here.”

Lin raised her eyebrows and stifled a laugh.

“You think it’s funny?”

“Not at all,” Lin chuckled.

“Someone could’ve seen, you know. You’re lucky you’re not covered in them right now.”

“Please, continue to threaten me.”

“At least I can heal mine," Kya huffed. “Oh, but when I get back you better watch your neck. I won’t be able to stop myself.” She gave a wicked grin.

That sentence gave Lin pause. Kya noticed the way her shoulders stiffened.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your trip. I forgot about it for a second is all.”

Kya cocked her head to the side.

“I’m leaving in three weeks. You know that.”

“I do I just – nevermind.”

“What?”

“I thought you might stay.” The words felt stupid coming out of her mouth. “I just thought this might change something.”

“Lin, I’m so sorry. I can’t stay.”

She hated the way Kya said it. It felt like someone apologizing for stepping on a dog’s tail.

Lin got quiet.

“I must be really fucking stupid.” She turned her face away from Kya.

“What?”

“I’m so stupid for thinking this meant anything to you.”

Kya realized where this was going.

“Don’t do this, Lin.”

“No, clearly last night meant nothing to you if you can just leave me behind.” She scowled.

Kya took a step forward.

“I’m continuing my training.”

“Yeah, continuing your training and then what? Running around the four nations so you can _find yourself?”_

“Yes. You knew this.”

“And how long do you honestly think you can do that for?”

“For as long as I need to. You don’t become a Master by staying in one place the rest of your life.” Kya paused, then added “And it’s a lot different than having your mom decide the rest of your life for you.”

This ignited Lin’s anger.

“I’m taking responsibility!” She clenched her fists, the tips of her fingers turning white. “You get to fuck around for the rest of your life! You get to do this to me and leave!”

“Do _what_ to you? Love you?” Kya scoffed. “I feel horrible about this but, what was I supposed to do? Watch you start a career while I waited for you to work up the nerve to say something?”

“You chose to do this now!”

“Because I thought you’d understand!”

“Oh, I understand. You just wanted to fuck me and leave.”

 _“You know that’s not true.”_ Lin had said it to hurt her.

“It's what you’re doing! I should’ve known this didn’t mean anything to you. Why would it if you’re just going to run away?”

Kya’s hands shook at her sides.

“I was trying to be honest with you!” she shouted.

Lin’s eyes went wide. Kya never shouted. 

Kya pointed her finger at Lin. “I _knew_ you would do this. I knew you would blow up instead of talking through this like a normal person, and I was right. I was supposed to leave and never bring it up, and everything would be fine but you wouldn’t leave me alone! If I had just left and never said anything, this wouldn’t be happening right now, and it would’ve gone away like it was supposed to!”

Lin’s glare softened.

“You wanted it to go away?”

The anger left Kya as she realized what she said.

“No, I – “ She reached for her arm.

“Don’t touch me.” Lin yanked her arm away, turning and stomping off.

“Lin!” Kya followed after her.

As she took another step, a jagged wall of rock sprung up inches from her face, stopping her in her tracks. Kya stomped her foot and yelled in frustration. Hot tears stung her eyes once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The girls are FIGHTING!!! 
> 
> If you would consider leaving a comment, I'd really appreciate it! I'm going to be reaaal busy reaaal soon, and they help keep me motivated. I want this last chapter to be perfect, but its gonna take some time.
> 
> UPDATE 2/7/21: Upped the chapters from 5 to 7 because its getting long in wordcount and I want to split it up reasonably rather than cram it into one by itself. Number 5 is written, needs editing. Starting 6 soon. Thank you for being so patient!


	5. Dawn: Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lin storms off, she thinks she can deal with her emotions by punching things. This turns out not to be the case when she unexpectedly runs into Uncle Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you as always to my beta, TwinkleToes! They're amazing!
> 
> P.S. If you can spot the line of She Ra dialogue, you get a high five.

Lin didn’t cry. Not at first.

She stormed away from Kya. If she had any common sense, she would not follow her. Kya was lucky Lin hadn’t launched her off the hill into the ocean.

Lin tried to stay calm, remembering what Aang had told her about her quick temper. She held her breath and counted. It worked for a few minutes but as she walked, anger boiled up inside her. It rose to the surface and pricked at her skin, her hair standing on end.

The path from the theater was long, and winding. _Control yourself._ She just needed to control herself. Just hold it in, and she’d be fine.

But, she couldn’t.

She made a sharp turn off the path into the surrounding forest. Lin walked forward and did not look back, hoping she could hold out until she was far enough that no one could see her. When she came to a small clearing, she stopped. Her chest heaved and her fists hung heavily at her sides.

Lin flung off her shoes and planted her feet in the dirt. She raised her arms up in a swift motion, raising a slab of rock in front of her. She wheeled around, landing a kick against the stone and sent a piece of it flying through the trees. She did it again, another chunk of rock into the air. _It wasn’t enough._ She hurled her fist at the stone, leaving a deep indent in it. With another, the stone broke completely, bits of earth spraying into the air and into her face. She recoiled, instinctively closing her eyes. She wiped the flecks of debris away before looking around. _It still wasn’t enough._

She turned on her heel, throwing her arm out and tearing up the ground around her. A tree caught the shock of the shifting earth and its branches shook slightly. The motion drew her eye. It was a tall, wide tree with a thick base. She locked eyes on it and stamped her foot down. Its branches shook again, just barely giving into her force.

Lin strained her arms upwards, trying to uproot the tree. She could feel her grip on the soil underneath it, but the tree did not budge. She released her grip and moved closer to it. Squatting into a lunge, she tried again. Its branches shook more than before, but still, it did not move. She was going to destroy it.

Lin adjusted her position and focused. This time, she could feel the earth surrounding the roots. The roots ran deep into the ground. She took a deep breath in and raised her hands again. She felt the earth twisting around as she manipulated her hands. The amount of earth she was trying to raise was hefty and as much as she tried to pull it up, it was trying to pull her arms down. She gritted her teeth and dug her feet into the ground. It was just barely beginning to move when her muscles strained under the pressure and her bending grip slipped.

“Fuck!”

She hit the tree with her fist, forgetting it would not yield to her like stone.

 _“Fuck!”_ she yelled, clutching her hand in pain. She stomped her foot down and the ground shook again.

A loud noise rang out and pulled her from her anger. She looked at the tree.

A crack had split the base of the tree with a wet snap. She watched it inch up the trunk, making that horrible noise as it spit out splinters of bark and wood fiber. Seeing the crack spread far up the tree into its branches, she did not feel satisfaction but regret. Lin had wanted to uproot the tree. Not this. She didn’t mean to do this.

Lin tried to back up but stumbled, realizing she created a depression in the earth from her fierce stance.

With the last of her energy, she made the ground underneath her sink lower, creating a pit. She sat at the bottom of the hole she dug, collapsed against the back of it, and slid to her knees. That’s when she started to cry.

* * *

Yesterday, Lin completely disappeared from her friends. She spent the afternoon crying in a hole then realized a better solution was to feel nothing at all. So, she left the woods and returned to her resort to sleep the day away. She slept through the hot springs, dinner, and another beach night. Fine by her. She was in no mood to interact with anyone, especially Kya.

However, since she slept through the day, she couldn’t sleep that night. She laid in bed with her eyes closed waiting for the sun to come up.

When it was close enough to sunrise, Lin got out of bed. She sat up, using her hands to support herself, but yelped, falling back to her pillow. Her hand throbbed with pain.

The pain struck up a dull anger in her and right away she knew she’d have to take care of it like yesterday. Destroying that tree hadn’t made her feel better, but it had worked for a short time as a distraction. She’d have to do something more physical and less reliant on her bending to avoid losing control this time.

Thinking of where to disappear to, she decided on the training courtyard at Uncle Zuko’s compound. Being the Firelord, Zuko had a private resort house for him and his family that was bigger and more ornate than the other houses. Most importantly, it was isolated. She managed to avoid everyone yesterday and she planned to do the exact same today, the last day of their vacation.

With their friends and family enjoying their last day, no one would bother her. They’d likely head to the beach right after breakfast. She’d be able to beat her feelings into submission in peace and leave everything that happened behind. Then, the trip would be over, and she could go home. Being home wouldn’t be better but working at the station would distract her. If she could avoid Kya with three weeks of paperwork, writing reports, and patrolling her beat, she’d leave and Lin would never have to see Kya again. 

At that thought, tears threatened her eyes.

She squeezed her knuckle to feel that instead, immediately regretting her decision.

_Ow, ow, ow, ow...._

Lin sat up once more, then shook out her hand, hoping the pain would dissipate.

When she turned on the light, she saw the damage. The knuckle was swollen, colored purple and red with a small cut that was just beginning to scab over. It looked bad, but it could be worse. She’d have to wrap it.

She pushed herself out of bed and threw on a pair of RCPD sweats and a tank top. Lin didn’t bother doing her hair like normal, instead tying it into a small ponytail at the base of her neck. In the bathroom, she wrapped her hand with her back deliberately turned to the mirror. Holding it out in front of her, she poked at the knuckle. It was a good sign that it wasn’t sensitive to the touch, only hurting when she put her weight on it or squeezed it.

Lin left her resort the last few moments it was still dark to avoid running into Kya or Tenzin leaving for their morning meditation. She made the long walk to the courtyard as the new sun entered the sky.

The courtyard was located at the back of Uncle Zuko’s compound far away from the main house where his and Sokka’s, and Izumi’s rooms were. The courtyard was surrounded by a tall wall and the only way in was through the front of the compound, through the main house, down the long back hallway, and out onto the porch. She’d trained here plenty of times before doing early morning bending practice with Izumi (who, despite being a firebender, did not like rising with the sun). Her Uncles made it clear she was welcome anytime. So, she took them up on that offer as she hopped over the wall of the courtyard using her bending.

As she hopped down, she landed solidly on her feet. She held her injured hand and scanned the courtyard for something she could use to train.

There was a punching bag she could practice her kicks on hanging from a tree in the corner but she quickly ruled that out. She’d broken it once before and, considering the damage she did yesterday, she would likely do it again. There was a rack of staffs and wooden swords closer to the house but if she couldn’t use both hands, her balance would be off. However, there was a row of wooden training dummies lined up near the wall that might work. Practice would require her hands, but she could go slow and practice her striking movements.

Lin approached the wooden dummies and moved in front of one that stood a few inches taller than her. It wasn’t like the life-like rubber dummies at the station; instead, they had a more traditional design. The dummy was a column of dark wood with several wooden pegs slotted into it at particular angles. There were two pegs splayed out in a V-shape at her shoulder height, one peg near her torso, then a longer peg near the bottom. The pegs represented areas she would have to hit or block to deter an attack while the wooden column represented core body areas she could strike.

She’d hated practicing on these before because the point was not to hit fast or hard, but to perfect form and commit the motions to memory. Lin never had the patience to go slow, but the repetitious movement might just be the mind-numbing feeling she needed. She’d have to go slow anyway with her hand. Luckily, the wooden core of the dummy was braced with a foam pad, so if she did happen to hit too hard, her hand might be spared.

Lin shook out her arms and shoulders, then stepped up to the dummy. She stood with her feet squared and faced it head on. Lin tucked her elbows to her sides and held her fists closed. Could she consciously remember the forms? No, but muscle memory be damned if her mother hadn’t drilled them into her all those summers ago. After a deep breath, she began.

First, an open palmed strike with her right hand to the inside of the left peg. She hit with the correct force, jostling the peg in its slot with a _thok_. She pulled her right arm back to her side and repeated the strike, this time sending her left hand to the right peg. Her palm met the wood, sturdy and solid. Another satisfying sound. No sooner than she heard the sound, she used the momentum of the strike to flip her left hand over to the opposite peg. The back of her hand laid against the wood, her palm up; a block with her wrist. Then, a swift movement of her upturned hand into a fist, driving it towards the core of the dummy in a powerful line. Her right hand replaced the left against the peg with an open-palm block. Switch. Her right hand retreated, forming into a fist to land another punch, and her left palm pressed to the right peg in another block.

Lin was pleasantly surprised. She ran through the motions slowly, correctly. She did it once more.

Right strike. _One._ Left strike. _Two._ Wrist block. _Three._ Block punch left. _Four._ Block punch right. _Five._

Returning to her starting stance, she looked at her bandaged hand. No pain. She continued.

One. _Thok._ Two. _Thok._ Three. _Thok._ Four. _Thok._ Five. _Thok._

Again.

_One, two, three, four, five._

And again.

She was immersed in the repetition now. Her shoulders and hips rotated smoothly to accommodate the motion. Her core kept the form tight and controlled. She repeated it over and over until the motion became fluid, her arms maneuvering around the pegs seamlessly. Confident in her form, she began to switch things up. She changed the areas where she landed her blows, switching between above the V-shaped pegs where an attacker’s head would be to below them where their torso would be. Then, she added kicks into her movement.

_One, two, three, head, torso. Kick._

_One, two, three, torso, head, kick._

_One, two three, head, torso._

__But, on her last kick, she had gone too fast and put too much weight in her foot. She threw herself off balance and, when she returned to the count of one, the fingers on her injured hand hit the peg, not her palm, and they bent uncomfortably backwards. Pain pulsated through her knuckle._ _

__She pulled her hand away quickly, stumbling backwards and falling. She instinctively put both hands back to catch herself. Another mistake. When the force of her weight came down on both hands, a searing pain shot through her injured hand. She clutched the hand, yelling curses all the while._ _

__Setting eyes on the dummy again, she kicked up her heel and raised the earth below it. Unstable, it fell backwards against the wall and knocked a few bricks off the top, hitting the ground with a thump._ _

__“Lin? Is that you?”_ _

__She froze._ _

__“Hi, Uncle Zuko…” She turned to look at him from across the courtyard._ _

__He stood on the porch looking between her, the fallen dummy, the damaged wall, and then back to her._ _

__“Sorry about the...” She trailed off._ _

__He didn’t say anything, letting her simmer in the silence._ _

__“I came out to feed the koi. Do you want to help?”_ _

__She looked at her mess then back to Zuko. He offered a small smile._ _

__“Sure,” she shrugged. Lin got up and headed towards him._ _

__The training courtyard had ample open space for physical training and sparring using both bending and non-bending. It had some pieces of greenery such as a few small pine trees and plum yew bushes but it contained a decent sized pond near the porch. In the pond were many healthy-looking koi and a small waterfall. The pond served as a relaxing feature to enjoy as well as provided water for bending if necessary._ _

__Zuko walked down the steps of the porch and then crossed onto a small bridge that arched over the koi pond. Lin met him on the bridge and peered over the railing. The colorful fish gathered in its shadow._ _

__Zuko offered a bowl full of brown pelleted food. They both took a fistful and sprinkled the pellets into the pond below without saying anything. The koi clambered to the surface, bobbing their heads above the water to suck food in their mouths. As soon as they got a piece, they slipped back under the water, leaving bubbles behind. For being such pretty fish speckled bright hues of orange, white, and black, they looked so silly with their round eyes and wide mouths. Lin reached for another handful of food._ _

__“You know, if you feed them from the bank, they’ll eat from your hand.”_ _

__“Really?” Lin couldn’t picture a fish eating out of someone’s hand._ _

__“Sure, they will.” Zuko walked off the bridge, sat on the ground near the edge. Lin followed behind and sat next to him. The strands of silver in his long black hair caught her eye._ _

__Zuko gathered food in his palm and held it flat in the water. Sure enough, the koi came right up and ate from his hand._ _

__“Here,” he handed the bowl of food to Lin._ _

__Lin didn’t exactly want to handfeed the fish, imagining they must feel slimy, but did it anyway. The koi circled around and slid their heads into her hand, nibbling at the food. She was right, they were slimy, but their little whiskers tickled. The corners of her mouth twitched up in a smile._ _

__As she leaned over the water, Zuko noticed her bandaged hand._ _

__“What happened there?”_ _

__“Hurt myself while training.” Her eyes were fixed on the koi._ _

__“This morning?”_ _

__“No, after the play.”_ _

__“Ah, so that’s where you were.”_ _

__“Yeah,” she stalled, “I liked the play.” Maybe that would change the subject._ _

__“Love Amongst the Dragons is a favorite of mine. The actors did it justice this time.”_ _

__Lin relaxed and sat back near her Uncle._ _

__“Oh, yeah?”_ _

__“They used to butcher the story every time when I was a kid. I’m glad they got better. If they didn’t, I don’t think I’d be able to stand it no matter how much Sokka likes bad theater.”_ _

__“The plays were bad when you were a kid?” Lin meant it genuinely. She’d always remembered the actors being at least decent._ _

__“Oh, they were _terrible._ Even as a kid, I knew I could’ve done a better job with the story since my mother read it to me so often.” Then, he paused. “Sokka and I read it to Izumi a lot, too. Luckily, she only knows a world where the actors get it right.”_ _

__“That’s nice. Mom would turn on the radio for me sometimes. Mostly it was police radio, but we’d sit and listen to it together.” She laughed a bit._ _

__Zuko smiled, because of course Toph would do that. The smile faded from his lips when his eyes rested on Lin’s hand again. This time he noticed small spots of red dotted the white wrapping._ _

__“Is everything okay, Lin?”_ _

__“Yeah, I’m fine.” With the attention back on her, she moved her hand away and held her knees to her chest._ _

__Zuko’s lips pressed into a thin line. Something was up with his niece, but if he prodded too much, he’d scare her off._ _

__“Your friends were worried about you when they didn’t see you for dinner last night.”_ _

__“I was busy.”_ _

__He stared at the koi, thinking, and tried again._ _

__“Kya is worried about you.”_ _

__“So?” She picked her head up and looked at him._ _

__“I bring it up because…I get the feeling that you two might be more than friends.”_ _

__Her mouth fell open. “Did she tell you?”_ _

__Zuko chuckled at Lin’s stunned expression._ _

__“No, I just had a feeling. I also saw you two holding hands during the play. And helping Kya look for her keys so you could walk back together? Nice one.” He patted her on the back._ _

__Lin blushed furiously and buried her face in her knees._ _

__“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You two are very cute together.”_ _

__“We’re not together,” she grumbled._ _

__“It’s okay if you are.”_ _

_“We’re not,”_ she snapped. “Kya doesn’t care about me.” She mumbled the words against the fabric of her pants. 

__Zuko raised his eyebrows at her reaction. Something must’ve gone wrong between them since the play._ _

__“I don’t think that’s true. Why do you say that?”_ _

__Zuko shifted so he could be in her line of sight but Lin refused to look at him._ _

__“She’s running away.”_ _

__“Can you tell me what you mean?”_ _

“I’m taking responsibility for myself, for my mom, the force, and for Su and she’s just _leaving._ I’m staying where I’m supposed to be and she’s running away. 

__“When you say you’re staying where you’re supposed to be, do you mean that Kya is supposed to be in Republic City?”_ _

_“Yes.”_ Lin said it was obvious. 

__“Why?”_ _

__Lin furrowed her eyebrows._ _

_“I don’t know.”_

__“Your paths are very different, but that can’t be the reason you’re upset?”_ _

_“It is.”_

__“You’re working for the very police department your mother built. Being the little Beifong around the department while your mother is chief and trying to make your own name for yourself sounds difficult. It requires a lot of dedication. And, I can imagine trying to make your mother happy at the same time is not easy.”_ _

__“Tell me about it.” Lin rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t even think I can metalbend worth sh – worth squat,” she corrected herself._ _

__“Well,I think Kya is under similar pressure. Her path is less clear cut than yours, but she’s in the same shadow of her parents. Maybe getting away to train is how she does it. She’ll have to train with all sorts of healers all over the world to gain Master’s status, likely for a very long time. That takes dedication as well.”_ _

_“I know.”_ Lin looked at her feet. She knew he was right. 

__“And you must have known she was going to go.”_ _

“I know!” She was getting frustrated. 

__“Then what’s really upsetting you?”_ _

__“I just don’t want her to go! Okay? She’s always been here and if she leaves I – “ Lin stopped._ _

__Her Uncle finished her sentence for her._ _

__“And if she goes, you don’t know what it will be like without her?”_ _

__That’s when the realization hit her._ _

__Nothing was consistent in Lin’s life. There was a period she and her mother were very close. Then, they weren’t. Something happened with Yakone. She knew about it now, but her mother had never talked about it. Her mom started leaving her on her own when she was ten, maybe eleven. Toph was fine on her own when she was near that age. The hours alone got longer until she didn’t come home from work some nights._ _

__Then, there was Su. Lin loved her as a baby but loathed the attention she got. Inevitably, her mother pulled away again. Su was only five. So, Lin took care of her most of the time. Now, Su’s ten and Lin thinks she turned out okay under her care. But, she worried. Su was different; she had always acted out since she was little to get their mom’s attention. What would happen when she became more independent? Would she leave entirely? Would the behavior continue?_ _

__There were the friends and family she had for as long as she could remember. But, Bumi left, Tenzin and Aang spent most of their time at the Air Temples, Izumi started preparing for her political career, Zuko and Sokka didn’t visit that often, and Katara was back and forth between the city and the Southern Water Tribe._ _

__But, Kya had always been there. Kya had been her constant._ _

__Lin hugged herself tighter, her fingers digging into her shins. She hid her face against her knees as tears escaped her eyes._ _

_“She’s all I have.”_

____

____

__

__

__Zuko was unsure what to do. He had handled an upset Lin as a little girl, but not as a young woman. Hesitantly, he reached his arm around to pat her back. But, when he heard her begin to cry, he pulled her close to his side just like when she was a kid._ _

__He tried to think of something helpful he could say._ _

__“What about your mom or your sister?”_ _

“Mom’s never there. Su won’t be for much longer. Kya has _always_ been there.” 

__“Did you tell her that you feel this way?”_ _

“I didn’t tell her that. _I can't tell her that.”_

____

____

__“Don’t you think she’d like to know?”_ _

__“She said she - she didn’t even want to tell me in the first place! Why would that matter to her?” She was flustered again._ _

__“Oh,” Zuko scratched his head. “That’s rough…Why’d she say that?”_ _

__“She said she knew I’d be like this. That I’d get angry with her.”_ _

__“Well, did you get angry with her?”_ _

__Lin frowned at her Uncle._ _

__Zuko sat back on his hands and looked over the pond. The fish had calmed their frenzy from earlier and their lazy drifting near the surface caused the water to ripple to the banks. He sighed._ _

__“I think I was a lot like you when I was your age,” he began. “I was angry. And you are, too.”_ _

__She eyed him warily._ _

__“And, I don’t blame you,” he added. “I had a lot of obligations to my family’s legacy. It was smothering.” She nodded. “I had to make my father happy. I tried to be just like him. I thought that would work but it was never enough. How I felt never mattered. I had a role to fill.”_ _

__“Then, I joined Aang, Katara, and your mother. And I met Sokka.” A smile lit up his face. “At first, I thought he was an idiot. Then, I learned that he was a brave idiot, and a smart idiot. A funny one, too. I loved him. I couldn’t help how I felt, but I learned from my father and my grandfather that I could never love another man. It was wrong to them. So, I was angry Sokka made me feel that way. I was mad at him for my own feelings. I avoided him and it made me more confused and upset. I never planned to tell him. But, when I did, I found out that he loved me, too. It was worth it to tell him. How I felt _mattered.”_ __

__Zuko paused._ _

__“I know our situations aren’t the same. But I also know that it’s hard to keep your heart open. It makes you vulnerable, but it doesn’t make you weak. You have to believe that it’s worth it. You have to tell her.”_ _

__Lin nodded sadly._ _

__He lingered for a few moments, hugging her to his side before moving to get up. Zuko knew she’d need some time alone to think._ _

__He picked up the empty bowl of fish food and stood, rubbing at his knees. He was getting older._ _

__When he made it to the house, sliding the screen door open, he looked back._ _

__“Lin?”_ _

__“Yes, Uncle?”_ _

__“There will be tea waiting for you inside when you’re ready.”_ _

__“Jasmine?”_ _

__“Of course.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a comment! ^_^
> 
> The training forms Lin uses in this chapter are based on the Chinese kung fu form, wing chun! And the wooden dummies are referred to as muk yan jong.
> 
> Next chapter, we get to hear from Kya!
> 
> UPDATE 2/17/21: Chapter 6 coming this Friday!


	6. Dawn: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another morning meditation. Aang gets some alone time with his daughter and Kya tells him what's been going on. She leaves the meditation session with a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by my fave, TwinkleToes!

A loud knock at the door woke Kya.

She rolled over face-down onto the pillow. She went to bed with a headache last night and the rapping on the door threatened it to come back.

“Let me sleep, Tenzin,” the frustration in her voice muffled by the pillow.

When another knock followed, Kya trudged from the bed to the door.

 _“Tenzin,”_ she grumbled, swinging the door open, _“Does it look like I want to go to meditation this morning?”_

“You don’t want to come?” Aang replied.

Instantly alert at the sound of her father’s voice, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes to confirm which bald family member was currently in front of her.

“Oh…” She blinked a few times. “Sorry, I thought you were Tenzin.”

Aang studied his daughter while she was adjusting to being awake. She looked about right for just having woken up – the bedraggled hair, the eyes still squinted half-closed – it was the usual state he’d catch her in, shuffling into the kitchen on late mornings. Aang was also familiar with what would happen if anyone tried to speak to Kya before she was fully awake. Luckily for Tenzin, he was not at the door waking Kya up today. However, Aang did notice that Kya’s face seemed rather red and puffy, as if she had been crying all night. He made sure to speak gently.

“Actually, I told Tenzin to take the morning off.”

“You did?”

“I thought it would be nice if just the two of us could meditate together.” He offered a small smile. “Do you still want to come?”

Kya was surprised. Her father had told Tenzin, the squarest of squares, the nerd to end all nerds, to take the morning off. That was funny enough in itself. Then, he had also told him that he wanted to meditate only with her, who was chronically late, could never remember the names of the gurus, and sometimes even fell asleep. How she wished she could’ve seen Tenzin’s face. But, it was also very sweet. Her dad was very busy these days, and alone time with her father had become rare.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She smiled back. “Just give me a minute.”

Kya closed the door, ran through her get-dressed-quick routine, and then met her father outside.

“Sorry for making you wait.” She closed the door, attempting to put her hair up in a ponytail at the same time.

“Don’t worry about it.”

The two walked the dirt path to the outdoor temple in silence. As the silence grew, Kya became increasingly worried her father would break it at any moment to ask her about what happened during their last meditation session. It didn’t help that she was hesitant to sit alone with her thoughts either. Kya did _not_ want a repeat of what happened. She made sure to wear a loose blue tunic and not to tie her robes as tight this time just in case. Occasionally, she stole quick glances at her father, but he didn’t seem bothered by the quiet.

They made it to the temple, crossing under the wooden archway and then moving to sit under the pavilion. The wood was slightly damp, and age had made it soft. Kya folded her legs and her hands, pretending she did not see her father trying to make eye contact with her.

“Is it okay if we do a silent mediation today?” She evaded his gaze.

“Of course, dear, whatever you need.”

She straightened her posture and closed her eyes to begin.

Instead of trying to clear her mind to meditate (which would only do the opposite), she distracted herself by tuning into the things around her. The chirps of the cicadas starting the day. The dry island heat on her skin. The must of old wood. A bell.

 _Oh yeah,_ she remembered. They had hung a metal wind bell in the eaves of the pavilion summers ago. She forgot it was there sometimes.

It rang again, a pleasant tinkling sound, but there was no breeze and surely it’s paper catcher must have rotted away by now.

She peeked open one eye and was met with a blast of air to the face.

“Hey!” She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Caught you,” Aang said, laughter in his voice. “I could tell you weren’t focusing.”

“Were you ringing the bell? That’s cheating!”

“Yeah, but it made you look.”

Kya looked up at the old bell, remembering where it had come from. Lin made it when they were kids when she was getting the hang of metalbending. She gave it to her father as a gift back when she used to join them for meditation. It was small and crude, but its sound was light and clear. It’s been here forever.

She rubbed her palms against her knees and sighed.

“Can I talk to you about something?”

Aang noticed the change in his daughter’s demeanor.

“Of course.”

“I’m sorry about yesterday. For freaking out.”

“It’s all right.”

“Did you tell mom?”

“No, I thought I’d give you the chance to talk about it first. I’m worried about you, Kya. Is everything okay?”

“I’m not really okay right now.” She looked down and picked at the soft grain of the wood.

“Is it about your trip?”

“Yes and no.” She took a deep breath. “It’s about Lin.” Her eyes darted up to see if her father would react but his face remained unchanged.

“She’s upset you’re going?”

“Yeah.”

“She must be taking it pretty hard.”

“That’s an understatement,” Kya mumbled.

“I thought so. We know you’ve had this journey planned for a while, and we’re all going to miss you but, Lin is going to miss you especially.”

“Yeah?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“It’s going to be hard for you two, no doubt. All that time apart and not seeing each other for a while. Long distance relationships aren’t easy, but maybe she can find the time to visit you while you’re still in the south. We’ve got plenty of air bison now and –“

“Wait, what?”

“Hm?” Aang titled his head to the side.

“You said long distance relationship.”

“Yes! We’ll do everything we can to support you both, your schedules permitting.”

“Lin and I aren’t dating.”

Aang stared at Kya, waiting for her to smile and confirm this was just her humor, but then realized she was serious.

“You two aren’t dating?” He tried to backtrack. “I’m sorry, we thought – “

 _“We?”_ Both of her eyebrows shot up.

“You know, your mother and I.”

“You both thought we were dating?”

“We thought you’d been together for a while. You’re very close.” He shrugged.

“For a while!” She was incredulous.

“That's why your mother stopped sitting in on your healing sessions. We thought it’d be best to give you two your space.”

 _“Tui and La.”_ Kya dropped her head into her hands, her face turning completely red from deep embarrassment. Apparently, their feelings were obvious, _incredibly obvious_ to her parents but not to either of them.

“We knew you’d have some girlfriends eventually, and we thought since you and Lin were so close that you two were together. We didn’t want to intrude, we thought you would tell us when you were both ready. I am so sorry for assuming instead of talking to you, it was completely wrong of us.”

She felt bad for letting him go on.

“You’re not totally wrong,” Kya groaned, her hands still covering her face.

 _“Oh!”_ Aang hugged her suddenly. “That’s amazing!” 

“Dad…”

“Sorry,” he laughed, releasing her. “I’m just so happy for you two!” He rubbed at the back of his head, a goofy smile stretching across his face.

She felt a warmth in her chest knowing how excited her father was for her but the feeling soon faded.

“Thanks, but I don’t think it’s going to work.”

He looked devastated.

“What happened? Is it the distance?”

“Sort of. Lin and I got into an argument about it and she stormed off.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah.” Kya crossed her arms. “She said I was _running away._ Can you believe her?” She scoffed.

Aang frowned.

“I’m sorry, dear. Do _you_ think you’re running away?”

“No. I think I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. But, for some reason, I still feel bad for leaving.”

“How come?”

Kya put her head in her hands again.

“Just guess,” she groaned.

“Is it love?” 

She nodded.

“That’s wonderful!”

“No, it’s stupid. It’s not going to work. I never should have brought it up to her.”

“Why don’t you think it will work?”

“She said a lot of other things to me, too. I thought she’d understand but she wouldn’t even listen to me.” Kya sat back to lean on her hands. “But, it’s Lin. I don’t know what I expected.” She huffed, blowing a stray piece of hair from her face.

“I don’t think you’re being entirely fair to her.”

She narrowed her eyes at her father.

Ah yes, the Look of Daugtherly Disdain from her teenage years. He pressed on.

“It wasn’t right for Lin to assume you were running away. She should know how much this opportunity means to you. I also don’t think it’s right to assume that Lin will never listen to you just because she’s Lin. I know she can be….”

“An asshole?”

“Stubborn, is the word I would use, but you might be selling her short. Lin is – passionate about a lot of things. Sometimes it manifests as anger.”

“So, she gets to lash out because that’s just how she shows she cares?” The Look intensified.

“No, anger shouldn’t be how you show love.”

“Then what?”

“I think you should try talking to her one more time. Give her a chance to explain herself and tell her how her reaction made you feel. You don’t know, she might surprise you.”

She wanted to believe talking to Lin would be that simple, that they could work something out. Kya scratched her nails against the wood again.

“What if it’s all ruined?”

“I don’t know what else Lin said to you, and I won’t ask you to tell me, but I can tell you’re hurt. I think Lin also feels hurt that you’re leaving, but I don’t think that was the right way to show it. However, I’ve seen you two grow up together. Lin really cares about you, Kya.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “And, you two are best friends! Wouldn’t it be worth it to preserve that?”

“You’re right.” Kya thought about, and she had known Lin for as long as she could remember. Life without her wouldn't be the same.

“If you give her the chance, maybe something good will come of it. You may leave for your travels as friends, but that is better than leaving as nothing at all.”

She grimaced. The thought of being _just friends_ after years of yearning stung but maybe their friendship could still be salvaged.

“I just – I wish I could make her understand why this is so important to me.” Kya paused. “Dad, do you remember how you used to tell us stories about the Air Nomads when we were kids?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember that one story about Nun Jampa?”

“Of course! She helped establish the Western Air temple.”

“I used to think about her story a lot. She helped start the temple, but then you said she felt called to leave. She wanted to learn from others around the four nations to reach enlightenment.”

“I didn’t think you were one for our history lessons, but Nun Jampa is quite remarkable and a bit of a rebel.”

“Well, I think that I’m supposed to be like her – like the nomads. Once I start travelling, I don’t think I’ll ever be happy staying in one place again. I’m afraid because even if Lin listens to me, I don’t think I can give her what she wants.”

Kya looked up at her father again to see that he was crying.

“Your mother and I –“ he choked up, “we lost our people to the war. What’s left of our culture survived with us. Now, it also lives in you and your brothers. When you decided to focus on healing, we were both so happy for you. You have gotten so good with technique and even with patients, I wasn’t surprised the conference of elders sent for you. I always had a feeling you might feel called to your nomadic heritage, but it makes me so happy to hear you say it. You are wonderful parts of both of our cultures.” Aang wrapped his arms around her shoulders, enveloping her into another hug. _“I am so proud of you.”_

Kya eased into the hug, then buried her face in his robes. She hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, dad.”

After a few moments, they pulled apart and wiped at their eyes.

“Look, you made your old man cry!”

Kya laughed, tears in her eyes, too.

Aang took a breath.

“Since this is how you feel, you are right, it’s not something you can stop. It will always be a part of you.”

“It always has.”

“I know you’re smart enough not to change yourself for anyone, but if you can see a future with Lin, as a friend or as a partner, you both need to work on things. You don’t have to figure them all out right now, you still have a few weeks, but your lives are taking off. There’s a lot of change coming, and the only way to move forward to give her a chance.”

Kya nodded then laid on the ground. That was a lot to take in at once.

Aang watched her stare up at the roof. He laid down next to her with his arms behind his head.

“Processing?”

“Yeah.”

He agreed with a quiet _hmm._

“Can you make that bell ring again?” she pointed.

Aang blew a gust of wind up at the bell. It hopped around on its string, its sweet sound clearing the air.

* * *

Kya left the meditation with a goal. She was going to talk to Lin. Even if Lin yelled again, even if she cried, and even if this thing between them didn’t work out. Kya was still upset about everything Lin said to her, and she didn’t expect Lin to apologize without some goading. But, she did love her and that was incentive enough to try one more time.

Back in her resort house, she grabbed a notepad and a pencil from the nightstand. She picked them up to write a note, then immediately put them down again to pace the room. What should she say?

It’s only been a day and she knew that Lin had a cool down period of at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Though, it might be longer if all Lin had been doing was brooding. Would she even show up if Kya asked to talk?

Kya spent twenty minutes avoiding the notepad on the table, mentally thinking through all the variations of what she could write.

_Talk?_

_Let’s talk?_

_Can we talk?_

_We should talk._

_We need to talk._

“Talk” didn’t even sound like a real word to her anymore when she thought about it this much.

Fuck it. She picked up the pencil and quickly wrote: _Talk. Sea cliffs. Midnight._

She dropped the notepad onto the bed. Done.

With a rush of adrenaline, she tore out the piece of paper and strode outside.

Then, she spent twenty more minutes taking a long walk in the opposite direction from Lin’s house.

She didn’t know why she picked midnight. It didn’t really mean anything. It just sounded mysterious. At least the moon would be high enough to give her the strength she needed to power through. Hopefully, this wouldn’t make things worse. Lin could get mean if she wanted, but Kya could give it right back. Then, she regretfully remembered how their argument ended. _Why the fuck did I say that._

When she had circled back to Lin’s resort, she ducked behind a wall with the note in hand.

All she had to do was slide the note under Lin’s door. That’s it.

She peeked her head out to make sure no one was around.

_Kyoshi, give me strength._

She dashed up to the door, slid the note under, then ran to her house. Yes, she was a full twenty years old engaging in preteen note-passing bullshit but whatever. It was done. She did it. It was Lin’s move now.

Kya opened the door to her resort, then leaned her forehead against it. _All I can do is wait._

Kya moved away and felt something under her foot. It was a folded paper.

_I’M SORRY. CAN WE TALK?_

Kya raised her brows at the note. It was undoubtedly from Lin, the letters in all uppercase, written quickly and pressed hard into the paper. Lin had slipped it under her door first. She led with an apology.

Maybe her father was right. Maybe Lin would surprise her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole gaang knows Lin and Kya are mega gay, its just the two of them who didnt figure it out until now. Nerds. 
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave a comment! They really make my day ^_^
> 
> UPDATE 3/7/21: In the midst of final chapter but I am swamped with work. Its going to be long and of course, must be perfect, so thank you for bearing with me. <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please drop a comment! I'd really appreciate it. 
> 
> PSA: Bioluminescence is caused by plankton or dinoflagellates. Some of them just glow cool colors. Others are toxic. There is no way to tell by looking at them! So fair warning, dont do this.


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